Years gone by
by superdory57
Summary: Starting in Forever Red the rangers are reunited, but something else is going on. Tommy is acting strange and the others don't know what to think. Follow them though the years as they grow and build families. Who knew life could be so complicated? Will the rangers' friendship still be strong after the secrets come out? (slight Cole bashing mostly teasing)
1. Forever Red

_Hey, so here we are again! Just so everyone is aware this is not the squeal promised for dino time that is still in the process of being written! This story is a little thing i started working on a long time ago, and hazergirl1220 jumped in... well lets just say my little forever red fic turned into a novel! :) This is another story it fallows the show fairly well, and is more of a frame story. Most of it revolves around Tommy, jason and the original rangers but we involve all the other teams up to dino thunder! Let us know what you think about it it's a bit different from our other ones hope you enjoy!_

Years Gone By

"Yep, I've seen it all," Bulk said. "Why, I even once met Lord Zedd and Rita."

"Yeah?" said Skull. "So did I."

The telephone rang and both Bulk and Skull turned to look at it. Looking at each other, they leapt from their seats and ran to answer the phone. But Bulk shoved Skull out of the way.

"Ahh!" Skull yelled as he fell right into the pool.

Bulk laughed, answering the phone.

"Bulkmeyers—Bulk speaking," Bulk said, pausing. "Just a minute."

Skull climbed out of the pool and both of them scurried over to where a man was relaxing in a pool chair.

"You really think you ought to bug him?" Skull whispered.

"It sounds important," Bulk muttered back. "Excuse me sir. You have a phone call."

Holding out a hand, the man took the phone.

"Hello?" he said.

* * *

The jeep pulled into the Nasada Space Port. Carter drove straight to a nearby hanger, parking inside. His passenger climbed out.

"Wes! Eric!" the young man exclaimed, smiling at the two men climbing out of the black SUV.

"Cole," said Wes as they shook hands. "It's good to see you again."

"What are you guys doing here?" Cole asked.

"Well," Erica said. "We got a call that said meet here at the Nasada Space Port."

Coming up from behind, Carter nodded at the other two rangers.

"I see you've already met the silver guardians—Wesley Collins, red time force ranger, and this is Eric Myers, the quantum ranger," Carter said, before turning to look at the red car parked off to the side. "And that's the red turbo ranger—Theodore J. Jarvis Johnson."

TJ climbed out of his car and joined the others.

"Please," he said. "Just call me TJ."

He paused as they heard someone else walk into the hanger.

"And that's Andros," TJ continued, nodding at his teammate.

Andros walked right over to the group.

"Glad you could join us all the way from turtle cove," he said to Cole.

Cole looked around the group.

"You guys are all red rangers, too?" he exclaimed. "What's going on here?"

"We were all assembled by a veteran ranger, our leader for this mission," Andros said.

"Leader?" Cole asked.

Another figured walked in to the hanger, pausing to observe before he joined the group.

"Who's that?" Cole asked in confusion.

"That's Tommy," TJ answered, chuckling. "The red Zeo Power Ranger. He's a legend."

Tommy joined them, looking around at the group.

"So, what's going on?" Wes asked. "The call sounded urgent."

"I was hoping this day would never come," Tommy said, shaking his head.

He paused for a moment, taking a deep breath.

"Andros has recently tracked down the remains of the evil machine empire," he continued.

"But I thought the Zeo Rangers destroyed them years ago," TJ said, frowning.

"We destroyed their leaders, but some of their generals managed to survive," Tommy said. "They've been hiding all these years. They finally regrouped their forces and are amassing on the moon—preparing to invade earth."

"The moon?" Cole exclaimed. "So, how are we supposed to get there to stop them?"

Andros stepped forward, smiling as he clicked a remote, powering up his new spaceship.

"In this," he said proudly. "I present the Astro Megaship Mark II, fresh off the construction yards of KO-35, the fastest spaceship in the galaxy."

There was a pause.

"Guys," Tommy said. "This is going to be a very dangerous mission, but I can't force you to go."

All of the rangers watched him, quieting down. They all had serious looks on their faces, ready to get down to business.

"This is a decision you have to make on your own," Tommy finished.

Cole stepped forward, looking around.

"I don't know much about…spaceships or this machine empire," he said. "But I will go wherever I must to protect the earth."

"Same goes for us," Wes said, Eric nodding in agreement.

"Count me in," Carter said.

"It's not even a question," said TJ.

"Then it's settled," Andros said.

"Let's do it," said Tommy.

The group of red rangers started toward the ship.

"Wait. Wasn't there another red ranger here on earth?" Andros asked.

They paused, waiting for Tommy's answer.

"I was hoping he'd show up," Tommy answered, shaking his head, "but I guess he couldn't make it. We'll have to go on without him."

The sound of a motorcycle caught their attention.

"Guys!" Cole exclaimed, rushing outside.

The other red rangers followed him outside, waiting as the final ranger pulled up on his motorcycle. He parked, pulling off his helmet.

"Jason," Tommy said, nodding to him as he climbed off of his bike.

"You guys weren't going to do this without me, were you?" Jason asked, walking over to the group.

He studied them for a moment, stopping in front of Cole.

"So," Jason said. "You must be the new guy."

Cole froze for a moment, then wiped his hands on his jeans before holding one hand out to shake Jason's.

"Hi, I'm Cole," he said.

Jason looked at his hand, but didn't take it. Instead, he patted him on the arm.

"Good," Jason said, shaking his head as he walked away from Cole, moving toward Tommy. "I recognize some of you guys. Some of you, uh, more than others."

Jason stopped in front of Tommy and they studied each other for a moment.

"I was starting to wonder whether you'd show up at all," Tommy said.

"You didn't think I was going to let you do this without the original red ranger, did you?" said Jason.

Jason and Tommy clasped hands, smiling tentatively at each other.

"Let's get going," Tommy said, leading the way back inside the hanger.


	2. The Briefing

They all headed straight for the ship. Tommy was looking at his watch.

"How close are we, Andros?" he asked as they boarded.

"Cutting it close," Andros answered. "But as long as we get out of here right away we should still make it."

"Alright, everyone," Tommy said as the hatch closed behind them. "Head into the briefing room. We'll start as soon as we're done with lift off. Make sure you all strap in."

The other rangers followed his directions as Tommy, TJ, and Andros headed toward the control room for lift-off. Once they were away from everyone else, Tommy took a deep breath, his shoulders slumping a little as he leaned against the wall for a moment.

"Are you sure you should be here?" Andros asked in concern.

Tommy just waved for him to keep going.

"I'll be fine," he said. "It's just getting close to the usual time. But we need to launch before we miss our window."

Andros frowned, but nodded. The three of them moved into the control room and took their seats. Once they had broken through the atmosphere, Tommy sighed and stood up.

"Let's get the briefing over with," he said.

"You and TJ go ahead," Andros said. "I'll be there in a moment. I need to make a couple of calls."

Nodding, Tommy and TJ left the room. In the briefing room they found the other rangers wandering around and examining the ship's computers. They all stopped to look at Tommy when he and TJ entered the room.

"Alright," Tommy said. "Everyone have a seat. As soon as Alpha has the video projector ready we can start. Andros will join us in just a moment."

The rangers took their seats around the table. Jason hesitated for a moment, like he was going to go stand next to Tommy, but he sat down instead. Tommy leaned back against the console, waiting for Andros to arrive. It didn't take him long.

"I contacted Leo on Mirinoi and Aurico on Aquitar," Andros said, joining them. "They'll be here as soon as they can."

He stopped next to Tommy, taking position leaning against the console next to him.

"Good," Tommy said, nodding.

Alpha walked over to Tommy.

"It's all ready, Tommy," said Alpha.

Tommy nodded, pulling out a remote. He straightened up and walked over to the table.

"Let's get started," said Tommy, turning on a video projector. "Several years ago, the machine empire emerged from deep space and tried to invade earth. Myself and the other Zeo rangers succeeded in stopping the invasion by destroying their leader, King Mondo, and most of the empire with him. But now the last surviving members of the machine empire have regrouped under the command of General Vinjix and are gathering here, in the sea of tranquility on the moon."

"It looks like they're digging something there," Wes said. "Well, what would they want on the moon?"

"Serpentera," Jason said before Tommy could answer.

He looked at Tommy, trying to figure out why the other ranger looked so exhausted. But Tommy didn't pause.

"Years ago, when Lord Zedd was defeated," Tommy continued. "His personal zord remained hidden on the surface of the moon."

Tommy paused as Andros stepped forward to explain his part in everything. While Andros was talking, he leaned back against the console again.

"But I spent the last few years trailing General Vinjix," Andros said. "Just recently, he discovered the hidden location of Serpentera."

"If the machine empire gets their hands on Serpentera," Jason interrupted again. "They're going to have more than enough power to destroy earth."

Cole leaned forward, looking around at the others.

"We have to stop them here, on the moon," Cole said. "We're the only chance earth has."

"And that's the plan," Tommy said. "We're on schedule. As long as everything goes well, we should arrive before they finish unearthing Serpentera. All we have to do is keep them from boarding."

"That should be easy enough," Wes said.

"Hopefully," Tommy said, stepping forward again. "But everyone should be up to speed now."

"Feel free to explore the ship," Andros said. "Keep in mind that any locked door is off limits. And D.E.C.A. will inform me if anyone tries to get in somewhere they aren't supposed to be."

Tommy set the remote down on the console, leaning there for a moment. Straightening up, he turned back to the other rangers. They all stood up, looking around. Jason moved as though to approach Tommy, but he was already heading for the door.

"I will see you all at dinner," Tommy said, leaving the room.

The other rangers looked at each other in confusion. Andros and TJ exchanged looks, and then Andros hurried out of the room after Tommy.

"Well that was weird," Cole said. "What? Does he not want to spend time with us?"

"Nah," TJ said. "He's just got some stuff to take care of before we arrive. Now who wants to see the simu-deck?"

"Sure," Jason said. "Why not?"

They all started to head toward the door, TJ in the lead.

"Wait a minute," Cole said, frowning. "Who's D.E.C.A.?"

TJ stopped and turned around to look at him.

"Oh, she's the computer," he answered.

"So how is the computer going to tell Andros what we're doing?" Cole asked, confused. "Does it print out reports or something?"

"Nope," TJ said, shaking his head. "She tells him."

"How does a computer tell someone something?" said Cole.

TJ sighed.

"D.E.C.A.?" he said.

"Yes, TJ?" D.E.C.A. responded.

Cole jumped backward, looking around in surprise. The other four red rangers were surprised too, but they stayed where they were.

"Where's Andros?" TJ asked.

"Andros is currently located in the control room," she answered.

"Thank you, D.E.C.A.," TJ said.

"Cool," Jason said, looking up at the ceiling.

"Yeah," TJ said. "She does just about everything for us. D.E.C.A. controls everything on the ship. So if you guys need anything, just ask."

"Nice," Jason said. "She's kind of like a Billy built into the ship."

TJ laughed while the other red rangers looked at Jason in confusion.

"Pretty much," TJ said. "But let's get going."

Leaving the briefing room, they all followed TJ to the simu-deck.


	3. Dinner Time

After leaving the rest of the rangers in the briefing room, Tommy headed straight for the control room. Inside, he leaned wearily against the wall, sliding down to the floor. He leaned his head back against the wall, closing his eyes. Andros walked in a moment later, looking around. He saw Tommy sitting on the floor and stared at him in surprise.

"Tommy, we do have chairs," he said.

"I'm good," Tommy answered, not opening his eyes. "This spot is actually quite comfortable."

Andros was silent for a moment, just looking down at the other red ranger as he sat on the floor.

"Tommy," he said after a moment. "I do have all of the necessary equipment in the med bay."

Tommy shook his head, still keeping his eyes closed.

"This is too important, Andros," he said. "And I won't be in any shape to help afterward if we do it tonight. There's not enough time. I'll be fine until we get back."

Andros sighed. Shrugging, he sat down on the floor next to Tommy and leaned back against the wall.

"Hayley is going to kill us both when we get back," he said.

"Don't worry," Tommy said. "I'll take the blame. She won't kill me until I'm completely better anyways. So I've got a while to get her to forgive me."

"Aww man," Wes groaned as the rangers walked toward the dining room. "That really hurt."

Eric rolled his eyes, pushing past him into the room. They had just finished a training session on the simu-deck when D.E.C.A. had announced that Andros was calling them for dinner.

"Sorry, man," Jason said, clapping a hand on Wes' shoulder. "I really didn't mean to hit you that hard."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Wes muttered. "I'll get you the next time."

Andros was waiting for them in the dining room. As the other rangers laughed, continuing to talk to each other about the training session, TJ walked over to Andros.

"Where's Tommy?" he asked quietly.

"He fell asleep in the control room," Andros answered. "I'll go get him in a little while if he doesn't join us."

TJ nodded and turned to the other rangers.

"You guys can use the Synthetron for dinner," TJ said. "It'll make just about anything you could want. I've got some other stuff in my fridge, too, just in case. However it's not much more then like milk and sandwich stuff."

"How does this thing work?" Cole asked, staring at the Synthetron.

"Well," TJ started to say, walking over.

But Cole didn't wait for an explanation. He just started hitting buttons.

"Wait—Nevermind," TJ sighed, shaking his head.

It was too late. Cole pulled his meal out of the Synthetron. It was a sandwich, but there were tentacles sticking out of it, waving around. Cole and the others stared. TJ just shook his head again.

"I've never had octoscorpius that way," Andros said, looking at Cole's plate. "I think I'll try it."

The other red rangers all stared at Andros as he ordered the same thing Cole had. Taking his food, Andros sat down and started eating.

"TJ," Cole said in a horrified voice. "It's staring at me."

"Yeah," TJ said. "Those things have great big bug-eyes. I've seen them before. They're kind of a cross between an octopus and a scorpion. So, just imagine a scorpion with eight stingers instead of one. Creepy little things…"

Cole about dropped the plate.

"Do I have to eat this?" he said quietly to TJ.

"You ordered it," TJ answered. "And if you don't, Andros will be offended. It's considered a delicacy."

Groaning, Cole sat down and continued to stare at his plate. The other rangers stared at the Synthetron, no one moving to order anything. While they were standing there, Tommy walked into the room, rubbing a hand across his face. He looked tired, as though he had just woken up. Nodding to the other rangers, he walked straight over to the fridge and pulled out a spinach salad in a plastic container. Taking his dinner, Tommy sat down at the table.

"Where did you get that?" Cole asked.

"I brought it with me," Tommy answered, taking off the lid. "I've had enough past experiences with the things Andros stocks to know better."

TJ laughed, remembering some past incident. The other red rangers were now watching Tommy, wishing they had followed his example.

"And I don't mean to offend you, Andros," Tommy said, smiling at the red space ranger. "But most people from earth do prefer their food to be dead before they eat it."

"None taken. But I am sorry, Tommy," Andros said. "I didn't realize that it would be such a problem when I chose it for you…"

Tommy just shook his head, smiling.

"Nothing to apologize for," he said. "I walked right into it the last time. Now I know better."

Andros laughed, smiling back at Tommy before going back to his food. The other rangers exchanged horrified glances again.

"Maybe I'll just wait until I get home," Jason said slowly.

"Why?" TJ asked. "Who wants a hamburger?"

Four other hands shot up in the air. Chuckling, TJ ordered himself and the rest of the rangers hamburgers. They joined Tommy, Andros, and Cole at the table. Cole took a deep breath and finally took a bite of his sandwich, making a face as he did so. Tommy looked up at him, frowning.

"Did you remember to order it without the stingers?" Tommy asked.

Cole froze, staring at the sandwich. TJ leaned over to look.

"You're good," he said, taking a bite of his hamburger. "But if you feel anything sharp, don't eat it. You'll be delirious for hours. And then spend the rest of the day in the bathroom."

Cole's face paled and he set the sandwich back down on the plate. Laughing, TJ pushed him the bottle of ketchup.

"You're gonna want this," he said. "Especially when you get to the eyes."

"Those are the best part," Andros said, popping one into his mouth. "They're kind of like grapes. They burst when you bite them."

TJ rolled his eyes, shaking his head. Cole just groaned, looking like he was going to be sick. But he picked the sandwich back up and took another bite. This time he got one of the eyes.

"Ugh…" he said, nearly spitting the bite back out.

He forced himself to swallow and kept going while the other rangers just shook their heads.


	4. Roommates

After dinner, the red rangers cleaned up their dishes. Cole started a debate with Eric and Wes about whose zords were better while Carter just listened, inserting a comment once in a while. Jason was talking to TJ about the ship and Tommy was leaning back in his chair, looking up at the ceiling with his eyes closed. Andros glanced at the time and stood up, stretching.

"It's getting late," he said.

Everyone stopped talking and turned to look at him.

"Sleeping arrangements are going to be tight," he said. "Especially since the girls' rooms are off limit."

"Girls?" Cole said.

"Yes," said Andros. "Cassie, our pink ranger, didn't want anyone in her room and Ashley, our yellow ranger, still keeps some of her things in her old room since, being on a spaceship, our room isn't that big."

"Wait a minute," Cole said. "Your room? As in share a room?"

TJ snorted, shaking his head and trying not to laugh. Andros glared at him.

"Ashley is my wife," Andros said, looking back at Cole.

"Oh," Cole said. "I guess that makes sense."

Andros took a deep breath.

"Anyways," he said. "So TJ will be sharing my room. Wes, Eric, and Cole, you'll take Carlos' room. Jason and Carter, you're in TJ's. Tommy will be in Zhane's room."

"Hey, wait a minute," Cole protested. "Why does he get a room all to himself when the rest of us have to share?"

Andros and TJ exchanged glances.

"He snores," TJ answered. "Like sawing logs. No one would get any sleep."

"Hey!" Tommy exclaimed, sitting up and glaring at TJ.

"Don't deny it, Tommy," TJ said, grinning. "I'm sure you know what I'm talking about Jason. You probably heard him snoring plenty of times when you were in high school."

"TJ," Tommy growled.

But Jason just laughed, shaking his head.

"I don't remember a whole lot of snoring in high school," he said. "But I was usually asleep first."

"Still not fair," Cole muttered, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"Hey man," TJ said. "Our ship. Our rules. If you don't want to share, we can always strap you to the bed in the med bay for the night. Not the most comfortable place in the world to sleep though."

Cole shook his head, shooting a glare over at Tommy. Standing up, TJ motioned for the others to follow him.

"Come on," he said. "I'll show you guys where the rooms are. Oh. If you break anything, there will be consequences and you won't like them."

Exchanging looks, Wes, Eric, Carter, and Cole followed TJ out of the dining room. Andros followed behind them, heading for the control room. Tommy stayed where he was, leaning back and closing his eyes again. The room was silent for a few moments.

"Did you need something, Jason?" Tommy finally asked without opening his eyes.

Jason, who was still standing in the room, jumped in surprise.

"Practice," Tommy said. "I had Rocky. And now I have Hayley."

"Who's Hayley?" Jason asked, sitting down at the table with Tommy.

Tommy shook his head.

"Not a subject for right now," he said.

They were both quiet again for a moment. Sighing, Tommy opened his eyes and sat up, looking at Jason.

"Look, Jase," he said. "I need to apologize."

"Tommy," Jason said. "That's not—"

Tommy held up a hand to stop him.

"I need to," he said. "I should have been at your wedding, and I wasn't. And don't say it's ok, because we both know better."

"I—Yeah, it really wasn't," Jason said. "I never thought you'd back out on me like that."

Tommy sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"I never meant to," he said. "But that's no excuse."

"Tommy," Jason said. "Things happen. But you never even gave me a reason. All I got was a cryptic phone call."

There was a pause.

"I—I was in the hospital, Jason," Tommy finally said. "And before you get all worked up, I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to worry. You and Trini both would have freaked out. I just—I didn't want to ruin that day for you."

Jason was silent for a moment, staring at Tommy in complete shock.

"You were in the hospital," he finally got out. "And you didn't tell me?"

"It was the night before your wedding, Jason," Tommy said. "If I had told you where I was, you and Trini both would have come running. I'm fine now."

Jason shook his head.

"You're lucky Trini isn't here," he said. "She'd kill you. Next time you end up in the hospital though, you'd better tell me. Or I'm going to put you in the hospital."

"I think I can handle that," Tommy said, smiling. "But we should get some sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a long day."

"So why are we crammed in here again?" Cole muttered. "Ear plugs would solve a snoring problem."

Wes and Cole were lying on the floor in Carlos' room. The small rooms meant they were almost shoulder to shoulder, without a lot of room to move. Eric was in the bed, having pushed both of them off in order to claim if for himself.

"Shut up, Cole," Wes muttered. "Or go sleep in the hallway."

"But—" Cole started to say.

He was interrupted suddenly by a pillow to the face. Grumbling, he shifted and tried to get comfortable.

"Are you good down there?" Jason asked Carter. "If you need some more pillows or something I think there are more in the closet."

Jason was lying on the bed in TJ's room. Carter had made a bed of blankets and pillows on the floor.

"No, I'm good," Carter answered. "It's actually quite comfortable. Better than some of the beds at the firehouse. Some of those were like boards."

"Alright," Jason said, rolling over and closing his eyes. "See you in the morning."

"Goodnight," Carter said.

TJ sat on the floor in Andros' room, leaning against the bed.

"So do you think Tommy's gonna be ok?" he said. "He didn't look that great at dinner."

"I don't know," Andros said, climbing into his bed. "He says he's fine. But he's refusing treatment until after the mission is over. Doesn't want it to interfere."

TJ sighed, shaking his head. Shifting his bedding around, he climbed under the blankets and got comfortable on the cot.

"He always was stubborn," TJ said. "I guess we'll just have to keep a close eye on him tomorrow."

Andros nodded.

"D.E.C.A.," Andros said after a moment.

"Yes, Andros?" D.E.C.A. answered.

"Where is Tommy?" he asked.

"Tommy is currently sleeping in his quarters," she said.

"Thank you," Andros said. "Please wake me if his condition changes."

"Yes, Andros," said D.E.C.A.

"Wake up, Andros," D.E.C.A. said.

Andros groaned, rolling over to look at the time.

"What is it, D.E.C.A.?" he mumbled. "It's too early for my alarm."

"Andros," she answered. "Tommy has left his room. He appears to be in some distress."

That snapped Andros awake and he vaulted out of his bed, leaping over TJ who shot upright out of a dead sleep.

"What?" he said, staring around. "Andros? What's going o—uh oh."

TJ hopped up, stumbling out of the room after Andros.

Eric and Carter, who had both gotten up early out of habit, were standing in the hallway talking quietly. Movement down the hallway caught their attention and they turned to see Tommy wandering toward them. He was looking around in confusion, like he didn't know where he was.

"Are you ok, Tommy?" Carter asked as he came closer.

Tommy stopped, staring at the two of them.

"How do you know my name?" he asked. "Who are you?"

Carter frowned, putting a hand on Tommy's arm. He jerked away.

"Tommy, what's wrong?" Eric asked.

Before Tommy could say anything, Andros came running around the corner.

"Tommy!" he exclaimed, stopping short when he saw the other two. "Oh. Carter. Eric. Umm…"

"Is he alright?" Carter asked.

"Yeah, he's, uh—" Andros stammered. "He's just—umm…"

"He's sleepwalking!" TJ yelled, skidding around the corner and grabbing Tommy by the arm. "Come on, Tommy. Let's get you back to bed."

"Do I know you?" Tommy asked, his brow furrowed as he looked at TJ.

"Yes," TJ said. "You just don't recognize me because you're asleep."

"But I'm not sle—" Tommy started to protest.

TJ clapped a hand over his mouth, muffling the rest of Tommy's protest as he pulled him around the corner.

"That was weird," Eric said. "How did you two know he was sleep walking?"

"D.E.C.A. told me," Andros said quickly. "Umm… I need to go."

He spun around, quickly following after TJ and Tommy. Eric and Carter watched him go. Shrugging, they headed in the other direction.

"Let's get something to eat," Carter said. "They'll take care of Tommy."

"You can't keep me here," Tommy said, glaring at TJ and Andros.

They had him back in Zhane's room, but were having trouble snapping him back to a normal state of mind. Nothing they had tried was having any affect.

"How does Hayley do this?" TJ groaned.

"I don't know," Andros said, shaking his head. "But we can't let the others see him like this, not without telling them everything."

"And Tommy wouldn't like that," TJ muttered.

"I'm standing right here!" Tommy snapped. "And I'm still waiting for you to tell me who you are and why you're holding me here."

TJ groaned, shaking his head. Then he stopped, getting an idea. He ran into the bathroom and came back with a glass of water. Without pausing, he tossed the water into Tommy's face. Tommy stumbled backward, sputtering.

"What was that?" he exclaimed. "TJ! What are you doing?"

"Yes!" TJ said, punching the air. "It worked."

Andros sighed, shaking his head as Tommy glared at him.

"What are you two doing in here?" Tommy demanded. "And—how did I get out of my bed? Oh no…"

"Sorry about the water, Tommy," TJ said. "But we couldn't figure out how to snap you out of it. And we didn't want to lock you in here for the rest of the trip."

Tommy groaned, shaking his head.

"Please tell me no one else saw me," he said.

"Only Carter and Eric," Andros said.

"Oh, good," Tommy said, starting to pace. "Only the investigators."

"TJ told them you were sleepwalking," said Andros, trying to reassure Tommy.

Pausing, Tommy stared at them for a moment and then threw his hands up in the air.

"Great," he muttered. "Wait until Jason gets a hold of that one."

He sighed, leaning back against the bed.

"Anyways, you guys get out of here," Tommy said. "I'm going to shower before breakfast."

Andros and TJ headed out, leaving Tommy leaning against the bed.


	5. The Battle

_Hi guys. It's hazergirl1220. So, apparently superdory57 really shouldn't be adding author's notes at 2am. Not only did she really need someone to spell check her, she forgot something rather important-_

**_Superdory57: HEY! Not cool. Not my fault the only time I have off is at midnight.  
_**

_Well, I seem to recall you getting off at 6pm tonight... Anyways, superdory57 forgot the disclaimer.  
_

**_Well by now they should know that we own squat!_**

_Moving on-We do not own the Power Rangers. Any of them. We just like to play in their world. We do, however, contrary to popular belief-superdory57-own a few things. Like our furniture, our clothes, our cars, the cats-  
_

**_Hold up. We feed them, clean up after them, pay attention to them when they demand it. I'm pretty sure the cats own us._**

_Alright. I concede you have a point. Anyways, thanks for putting up with us and our silly moments. On with the story! Enjoy and review!  
_

**_Just as a heads up, we do have this all written out. Feel free to give a guess as to where we're going with this. We always love hearing your ideas and sometimes using them in future stories. _**

* * *

Tommy paused before walking into the dining room, preparing for the worst. The rest of the rangers were already inside and eating. Sighing, he walked in and headed straight for the fridge, grabbing a protein shake before joining the others.

"There you are, sleepy head," Jason said with a grin.

"Hey, Jase," Tommy said, studying the other ranger as he sat down.

"You really have changed a lot since high school, haven't you?" Jason continued. "First you snore. Now you sleepwalk. What's up with that?"

"You're fault," Tommy retorted. "You ruin my dreams."

"Wait, what?" Jason exclaimed, confused.

"I didn't have any of these problems before I met you," Tommy said, laughing at the look on Jason's face.

"Not cool, bro," Jason said. "Not cool."

Tommy just laughed. Jason punched him lightly in the shoulder.

"You want anything else to eat?" Jason asked, eying Tommy's protein shake.

"Nah," Tommy said. "I'm good with this. We'll be there soon anyways."

On the other side of the room, Wes was staring at the Synthetron.

"How do you get this thing to make eggs?" he said.

Eric raised an eyebrow, turning around to look at him.

"Your team is from the future and you can't make the technology work?" he said.

"Hey, technology was Trip's department," Wes said. "Besides, this isn't from earth."

TJ, walking by on his way out of the dining room, paused and hit a button on the Synthetron. Wes grinned as a plate of eggs and bacon appeared.

"Thanks!" he said.

"Yeah, don't worry about it," TJ said, shrugging. "We made Andros program it into the Synthetron, amongst other things. He wasn't too happy about it, but we compromised by promising to try some of his foods. Some of it isn't actually that bad. Others… well—you saw what Cole ate for dinner last night."

At the table, Cole shuddered, remembering the not so appetizing sandwich. Laughing and shaking his head, TJ continued out of the room.

"Tommy," D.E.C.A. said.

"What is it, D.E.C.A.?" Tommy asked.

"Andros is requesting your presence in the control room," she said.

"Please tell him I'll be right there," Tommy answered.

Finishing up his protein shake, Tommy headed out of the room. Jason shook his head, watching him go.

"Wow," Cole said, shaking his head. "I know none of us were on his team. But I still think working with him must have stunk."

The other rangers all turned to stare at Cole in shock.

"Excuse you?" Jason said, glaring at him.

"What?" Cole said. "He keeps disappearing. What kind of team leader avoids his team as much as possible?"

"Listen here, rookie," Jason growled, starting to stand up.

But before he could continue, Andros walked into the room.

"We're there," he said.

All of the rangers immediately got to their feet. As they headed out of the room, Jason clapped a hand on Cole's shoulder and forced him to stop for a moment.

"We'll finish this later, rookie," he said shortly.

Pushing past Cole, he followed the others. Cole stared at him in confusion for a moment and then shrugged, heading after them.

"Oh no!" Cole yelled. "It's taking off!"

Arriving on the moon, the red rangers had intercepted the generals before they boarded Serpentera. The ensuing fight was going well until one of the generals got away and into the zord. Now they were faced with an even bigger problem. All of the rangers watched as Serpentera took flight.

"Aw man," Tommy said. "That is one ugly zord!"

"He's heading for the earth!" Wes exclaimed.

"He's getting away!" Leo yelled.

"We've got to get back to the megaship!" Jason said. "Come on!"

"Right!" Andros agreed as they all started to turn back for the ship.

"There isn't time," Carter said, stopping them. "We have to take out Serpentera before it leaves the moon!"

Cole looked around.

"There's only one chance!" he said, taking off. "Wild force rider!"

Cole took off into the air as the other rangers watched.

"Is he serious?" TJ said. "No, he can't be serious."

"Apparently," Andros said. "This is not going to end well."

"The rookie is gonna die," Jason said.

"Jason, focus!" Tommy said.

Cole flew around Serpentera, shooting at the giant zord. The other rangers continued to stare in shock, unsure of what to do.

"That's a motorcycle with wings," Carter said.

"Ok, wow," Wes said. "It is. It's a flying motorcycle with guns. Good choice against a zord."

"If only I had my Q-Rex right now," Eric muttered.

"Oh gosh," Leo said. "That barely missed him."

"Just great," Jason said, shaking his head. "We're going to have to plan a funeral."

"Well, we're going to have to save him somehow," Tommy said. "Cause I'm not calling his team."

Cole barely dodged another attack. Suddenly a huge beam shot out from Serpentera's mouth, straight at Cole on his motorcycle.

"Great," Tommy muttered. "Jason! Give me a boost!"

"What?" Jason exclaimed, turning around.

He saw Tommy, who had backed up to give himself some running space, coming straight at him. Jason crouched down and, as Tommy reached him, gave the other ranger a boost into the air. Tommy grabbed Cole, tackling him off of the cycle just in time. It crashed into Serpentera's mouth, causing a chain reaction and huge explosion. The edge of the blast caught Tommy and Cole and they hit the ground hard. For a moment, no one moved.

"Oh no," TJ said in horror. "Oh no. He's dead. She's going to kill us. He's dead."

Andros and TJ ran for Tommy, Jason right behind them. Tommy wasn't moving.

"He's dead?" Wes said. "But what about Cole?"

"Right!" Carter exclaimed. "The rookie!"

Wes, Eric, and Carter ran to check on Cole, who was groaning and trying to sit up. Leo and Aurico stared at each other for a moment, looking over at the injured rangers.

"Ok," Aurico said. "I'll go this way, you go that way."

Leo nodded, running over to Cole and Aurico headed to where Tommy was lying. When he got over there, Tommy was sitting up, shaking his head.

"Are you ok, bro?" Jason asked, helping Tommy to his feet.

"I'm fine," Tommy said, straightening up.

But he stumbled, nearly falling down again. Jason grabbed his arm, keeping him upright. A little ways away Wes and Eric pulled Cole to his feet. Once up, Cole turned around to glare at Tommy.

"What were you thinking?" Cole yelled, storming over to Tommy. "I had everything under control."

Angry, he pushed Tommy. Jason had just let go of his arm and Tommy, not prepared, fell again, his head bouncing off the hard ground. Tommy stared up in surprise, putting a hand to his head.

"Back off!" Jason yelled, shoving Cole backward into Eric and Wes, who had run up behind him.

They caught Cole and held him. Jason turned back around. TJ and Andros had Tommy on his feet again, supporting him.

"Let's get back to the megaship," Andros said.

Back on the ship, everyone de-morphed, heading for the briefing room. Tommy was leaning on Jason now. Aurico had left for home, but Leo had decided to take a trip to earth while he was with them.

"Let's go, D.E.C.A.," Andros said as soon as everyone was on board.

As he joined the rest of the rangers in the briefing room, D.E.C.A. lifted the ship off the surface of the moon, heading for earth. Once in the room, Tommy took a seat at the table, still slightly dazed. Taking a deep breath, Tommy looked around.

"Alright, everyone," he said. "Good job. We did a great thing today."

"We're already on our way back to earth," Andros added. "But it's going to be a little while because we have to wait for a window before we can enter the atmosphere. So everyone relax, because we have some time before we get back."

Andros had run a preliminary check on Tommy when they arrived back on the ship and they had fought no life threatening emergencies. So Andros went to check on Cole, to make sure there was nothing life-threatening wrong with him, who was still grumbling about Tommy's interference. TJ sat him down in a chair, none too gently, so that Andros could run a handheld scanner over him. Rubbing a hand over his face, Tommy stood up, heading for the door. He disappeared into the hallway while no one was looking. Finishing up with Cole, Andros turned around to run a more detailed scan on Tommy.

"Alright, your turn again To—" he said, pausing and looking around in confusion. "Where did Tommy go?"

The other rangers all looked at each other, but they all shook their heads.

"TJ," Andros said. "Did you see Tommy leave?"

"No, I was busy with that one," TJ said, gesturing to Cole.

"Let's go find him," Andros sighed. "He's probably back in his room."

Slipping out of the briefing room, Tommy headed toward his borrowed bedroom. The explosion really hadn't helped anything. Almost to the room, he realized his vitamins and iron supplement pills weren't in the room.

"Aww, shoot," he muttered, pausing in the hallway. "I left those in the control room this morning."

Sighing, he changed directions and headed to the control room.

"Well, he's not here," TJ said. "Where else would he go?"

Andros and TJ had gone to Zhane's room, but Tommy wasn't there.

"D.E.C.A.," Andros said. "Where is Tommy?"

"Control room," she answered.

The two rangers exchanged looks and then shrugged, heading for the control room.

Grabbing the bottles, Tommy left the control room and headed to the dining room.

"Might as well grab a protein shake while I'm over here," he said. "Better than trying to swallow these things dry."

In the dining room, he grabbed a protein shake out of the fridge. He opened it up before he left, pausing to take the pills before leaving the room. On his way out he passed some of the other rangers heading in, probably looking for dinner.

"Where is he going now?" Cole asked, frowning as Tommy walked out of the dining room, not even pausing to greet them.

Eric and Wes shrugged, heading straight for the Synthetron. Leo sat down at the table with Carter.

"And what was he taking?" Cole continued. "What does he need medicine for? He wasn't hurt any worse than I was."

"I don't know," Carter said. "You could go ask him."

"Well, did you see what the bottles were?" Wes said. "If we know what he's taking we could figure out what's wrong with him."

Cole stared at the door for a moment, and then headed out.

"I didn't see them, but I can figure it out," he said.

The other four exchanged glances. Sighing, they all followed Cole out the door.

"We'd better stop him before he does something stupid," Wes said.

TJ groaned. They had reached the control room to find it empty.

"D.E.C.A.," Andros said, frowning. "Tommy isn't here."

"Tommy is in the dining room," D.E.C.A. said.

Still grumbling, TJ led the way toward the dining room.

Back in the bedroom, Tommy lay down on the bed and sighed. It was barely afternoon and he was already exhausted. Groaning, he rolled over and tried to get comfortable so he could take a nap. But before he could fall asleep, he heard a noise over by the door.

"Tommy," D.E.C.A. said. "The young red ranger is attempting to gain entrance to your quarters."

Grumbling, Tommy climbed out of bed and went over to the door. He opened it and Cole fell inside, landing on the floor. He looked up at Tommy in surprise.

"What is it?" Tommy said, staring down at him and making no move to help him up.

"Umm… I—uh," Cole stammered.

"Ok, this is getting ridiculous," TJ said as he and Andros stared at the empty dining room. "There should be a rule that says sick people aren't allowed to move this fast. How is he avoiding us?"

"D.E.C.A.," Andros said. "Where is he now?"

"Tommy has returned to his quarters," she answered. "The young red ranger is currently trying to gain entrance."

"Great," TJ muttered. "Just what we need."

"If he changes directions again," Andros said. "Please inform me."

"Yes, Andros," D.E.C.A. responded.

TJ and Andros headed back into the hallway and hurried toward Tommy's room.

"Are you ok?" Tommy asked, still staring down at Cole.

Cole was still staring up at him in surprise, stammering as he tried to get out an answer. Wes, Eric, Carter, and Leo came hurrying down the hall. When they saw Tommy standing over Cole they stopped in confusion.

"What happened?" Carter asked.

"I'm not really sure," Tommy said.

"Tommy!" Andros exclaimed as he and TJ joined the group. "What did you do?"

Tommy sighed, leaning against the doorframe.

"I opened the door," he said. "And I think I broke the rookie."

"What?" Jason exclaimed, coming out of his room just down the hall. "How did you break the rookie?"

"I have no idea," Tommy said, looking down at Cole again. "But he hasn't been able to form a coherent sentence since I opened the door. Do any of you know what he wanted?"

Wes and Eric looked at each other. Stepping forward, they hauled Cole to his feet and started dragging him back down the hallway.

"Not sure," Wes answered. "But we'll see what we can do to fix him."

"Uh huh," Tommy said, raising an eyebrow.

Carter and Leo trailed behind the other three, disappearing around the corner. Jason frowned, looking at Tommy for a moment. Shrugging, he turned to follow the others.

"I gotta hear this explanation," Jason said as he walked away. "This is gonna be good."

Sighing, Tommy turned to go back in the bedroom. But before he could shut the door, Andros and TJ each grabbed an arm.

"Nope," TJ said. "You're coming with us."

"We've got plenty of time before we get back to earth," Andros added. "You're not avoiding treatment any longer. Hayley's going to be mad enough as is. Might as well be able to tell her we took care of you."

"Guys," Tommy protested. "I'm fi—"

"Not taking no for an answer," TJ interrupted.

Grumbling, Tommy let them pull him toward the med bay.


	6. The Med Bay

"Well, that was a stupid idea," Eric said.

He and Wes dropped Cole into a chair in the dining room. Carter and Leo followed them inside, but Jason stopped at the door. Leaning against the doorframe, he waited to hear what was going on.

"Well how was I supposed to know he'd still be in his room?" Cole protested. "I mean, he's always off on his own, but what normal person goes to bed this early in the afternoon? I thought he'd be in the control room or somewhere like that."

"And just how were you planning on getting in?" Wes asked. "D.E.C.A. knows you're not supposed to be in there."

Cole shrugged.

"It's just a computer," he said. "There's got to be an override of some kind."

Jason rolled his eyes, shaking his head.

"She," he corrected. "And the only one capable of overriding an instruction is Andros. Now, rookie, why were you trying to get into Tommy's room?"

Cole looked around at the others, but they said nothing. He was on his own.

"Well, he's been acting funny this whole trip," Cole said defensively. "We saw him taking some medicine and Wes said if we knew what kind it was we could figure out what he was taking it for. I thought it might explain why he's acting all weird around us."

Jason raised an eyebrow.

"Why didn't you just ask him?" Jason said. "Not that it should be any of your business."

"I didn't think he'd answer," Cole mumbled, looking away from Jason.

"First mistake, rookie," Jason said. "Don't make assumptions. That still gets me in trouble some days. Not a good habit to be in."

Cole just shrugged again, crossing his arms over his chest. Sighing, Jason turned and left the room. Leaving the other rangers in the dining room, Jason headed toward Tommy's room. While Cole was irritating, he did have a point about Tommy acting strangely and Jason was determined to get to the bottom of it. The medicine was just another piece of the puzzle. But Tommy's room was empty when he got back.

"D.E.C.A.," Jason said. "Where's Tommy?"

"I'm sorry, Jason," she answered. "But I cannot disclose his location at this time."

Jason frowned, looking up toward the ceiling.

"Why not?" he asked.

"Privacy parameter 9-3-5-2-7 is currently in effect," she answered. "I cannot disclose his location."

"What does that even mean?" Jason muttered under his breath. "Guess I might as well eat lunch…"

Sighing, he headed back toward the dining room. The other red rangers were still there when he got back. Carter and Leo were eating, talking quietly with each other. Cole was sitting next to Wes and Eric, talking loudly about his part in the mission.

"This was an awesome mission!" Cole was saying. "I can't wait to tell my team everything I got to do. Taking down Serpentera and saving the whole earth."

Shaking his head, Jason turned go back the way he had come, deciding food wasn't worth listening to Cole bragging.

"If only Tommy had stayed out of the way," Cole continued. "I had it. Just because he's the leader doesn't mean he has to be the one to finish it. He just wanted some of the attention. I think it's time he stepped down though, he's getting to old to being doing this stuff. It's time to let the younger rangers take the lead."

Jason froze. Taking a deep breath, he stalked over to where Cole was talking with Wes and Eric. He clapped a hand on Cole's shoulder and the younger ranger turned around.

"You know what," Jason said. "I gotta admit, well done rookie. You fought well."

Cole grinned, excited to hear Jason's praise.

"But just so you know, Tommy is younger than me," Jason continued. "So you might want to watch yourself on the age thing."

Cole's smile slipped. Jason started to turn around, but paused.

"Oh, and one more thing I forgot," Jason said.

Spinning around, Jason caught Cole in the face with a right hook, knocking him backward. Eric and Wes barely kept Cole from cracking his head on the console. Carter and Leo leapt from their seats, staring at Jason in shock. Jason got right in Cole's face.

"If you ever push Tommy like that again," Jason growled, "or hurt him in anyway, I won't be the only one you have to deal with. You'll have to deal with my wife."

Cole straightened up, glaring at Jason.

"And why would I be afraid of your wife?" he scoffed, gingerly rubbing his jaw.

"Don't worry, you'll find out," Jason said, turning away. "Because I'm going to tell her what happened."

Jason headed over to the Synthetron. Ordering a sandwich, he took a seat and started eating, smirking at Cole. Wes and Eric glared at him while Carter and Leo just stood where they were, still shocked by Jason's actions.

"What is your problem?" Cole complained. "No need to be so defensive. It's not like you were teammates or anything. You led two different teams, Zeo and Mighty Morphin'."

"Mmm…" Jason said, shaking his head. "You really need to learn your ranger history, rookie."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Cole muttered, touching a hand to his throbbing nose.

He pulled his hand away to see blood.

"Aww man," he groaned.

Jason had hit him hard enough to split his lip and make his nose bleed. Sighing, Carter walked over to take a look.

"You'll be fine," he said after a moment. "I'll go down to the med bay and see if I can't find something to clean it up with."

Jason laughed quietly to himself as Carter headed out of the room.

Turning down the hall toward the med bay, Carter was almost to the door when he caught a glimpse of movement inside through the window on the door. Frowning, he moved a little closer, trying to see what was going on. Inside, he saw TJ, Andros, and Tommy. Andros was standing with his back to the door, blocking Carter's view of whatever equipment he was currently using. TJ was standing next to one of the beds, where Tommy was lying down. Carter couldn't get a direct view of Tommy because TJ was in the way.

"What is going on?" Carter muttered quietly, surprised to see them in there.

Then TJ moved, giving Carter a clear view of Tommy. His eyes widened in surprise. Tommy had taken his shirt off and Carter could see some bruising on his chest, which wasn't surprising considering the fight they had just been in. He probably had some new bruises of his own. But with Tommy's shirt off, Carter could see that he was really skinny. Skinnier than he should be, despite the fact that he was obviously working out. Concerned, Carter got a little closer, trying to make sure none of them saw him. Tommy's eyes were closed, but TJ and Andros were still moving around a little. Looking closer, Carter realized Tommy was hooked up to some kind of machine, the tubes running to a set of tubes going into his chest. But before Carter could move any closer, he saw Andros turning around. Carter turned and hurried out of sight around the corner as the med bay door opened. Taking a deep breath, he rounded the corner back toward the med bay, trying to act as though he was just coming that way.

"Carter," Andros said, freezing in the hallway. "What are you doing here?"

His eyes shifted back toward the med bay before focusing on Carter again. Whatever was going on, Carter was not supposed to have seen anything.

"There was a small incident in the dining room," Carter said. "Jason took offense to something Cole said and, well, it didn't end well. Cole now has a bloody nose and split lip. I was hoping to find something to take care of those with."

"Oh," Andros said. "Umm… Just a moment. I'll get you some things."

He hurried back into the med bay, glancing over his shoulder as he opened the door. A moment later he reappeared with a small first aid kit.

"Here," he said. "If you need anything else, just tell D.E.C.A. and she'll pass on the message."

"Thank you," Carter said.

He took the first aid kit and headed back toward the dining room.

"There," Andros said, looking over at Tommy. "You're all hooked up now."

Tommy was lying on the bed in the med bay. His eyes were closed.

"Mmm hmm…" Tommy muttered. "I told you I could have waited until we got back."

Andros just shook his head.

"Too late, dude," TJ said.

"Then you're going to have to cover for me," Tommy said. "For the next four hours."

TJ, who was standing at the foot of the bed, shrugged.

"We can just tell them you're on the simu-deck," he said.

Tommy sighed.

"They'll just want to join in," he said. "Not such a great solution."

"Well," Andros said. "We could always create a simulation of you on the simu-deck."

"Oh yes," Tommy said. "Because that would go—well. Why don't you just lock my door and tell them I'm sleeping?"

"It was just a suggestion," Andros said with a shrug. "But that would work too."

"The simu-deck would be more entertaining," TJ grinned, shifting around to the other side of the bed.

Tommy sighed, shaking his head slightly.

"So, I've always wondered," TJ said after a moment. "Does that port-thing hurt?"

"Only if you pull on it," Tommy muttered.

TJ stepped backward.

"Not touching," he said.

Andros shook his head, looking up from the machine.

"I'm going to go check in with the others," he said. "TJ, stay with Tommy. I'll be back in a little while."

"No problem," TJ said.

Turning around, Andros headed out the door. He was back just a moment later, a look of surprise on his face as he started digging through the cabinets. TJ frowned.

"What's going on?" he asked. "I know you said you'd be back, but you weren't even gone five minutes. Did you even make it down the hallway?"

"Carter is in the hallway," Andros said, grabbing a first aid kit. "He was heading in this direction."

Tommy groaned.

"Great," he muttered. "Well, if someone is going to find out, at least he's less likely to gossip."

"I don't think he saw anything," Andros said. "All he needed was a first aid kit for Cole. I'll give this to him and hopefully that'll keep everyone away until we're done in here."

Andros stepped back out into the hallway for a moment to hand the kit over to Carter, coming right back. He sighed in relief.

"D.E.C.A.," Andros said.

"Yes, Andros?" she answered.

"Please inform me if anyone else comes toward the med bay," he said. "And lock the door to Tommy's room."

"Yes, Andros," she said.

"So why did Carter need a first aid kit for Cole?" TJ asked, leaning against the counter.

Andros frowned, not answering for a moment.

"I'm not really sure," he finally said. "All I was thinking about was keeping him out of here. Something about a bloody nose I believe."

"I might have to go check this out," TJ said with a grin. "How much you wanna bet someone hit him?"


	7. On The Ship

Pausing in the hallway outside the dining room, Carter tried to gather his thoughts together before he went inside. Tommy obviously didn't want anyone else knowing something was going on, which mean it wouldn't be right to share anything with the others. Taking a deep breath, Carter gripped the first aid kit and walked inside. Cole was sitting leaned back in a chair, trying to keep blood from dripping everywhere. One of the others had found some napkins and he was using them to slow the bleeding.

"Here you go," Carter said, setting the first aid kit on the table. "Everything you should need is in here."

"Thanks," Cole mumbled.

Jason, who had finished eating while Carter was gone, was leaning back in his chair a smirking. Leo had found a seat of his own and was just watching while Wes and Eric were still standing near Cole.

"Why don't you take the kit with you to your quarters?" Carter said. "Take a shower and get cleaned up. I really don't want to return you to your team like this."

Keeping some of the wadded up napkins pressed against his nose, Cole stood up, glaring at Jason. Grabbing the first aid kit, he stormed out of the room. Carter sighed, shaking his head as he took a seat at the table. A few minutes later, TJ came in.

"Hey guys," he said. "I just wanted to give you an update. We will reach earth sometime early tomorrow morning, but no set landing time yet. We've got to wait our turn."

"But what about Cole?" Wes asked. "Doesn't he need to get back to his team?"

"Yes," TJ said. "But we have a backup plan in case of emergency."

"I'm assuming that's why I left the ship's contact information with the Wild Force team?" Carter asked.

TJ nodded.

"If we have to, we'll transport him from here," he said. "But that's a long way and we don't want to if it isn't completely necessary. They'll call if they need him."

The others nodded.

"Speaking of Cole," TJ said. "Where is the rookie?"

"He's—getting himself cleaned up," Carter said, glancing over at Jason. "There was a small incident."

"I hit him," Jason said, smirking and crossing his arms over his chest. "The kid got what was coming to him after his stunt and snide comments."

TJ stared at Jason for a moment and then shook his head.

"Alright," he said. "Didn't see that one coming. Anyways, Andros and I will keep you updated on progress home. In the meantime, get something to eat and spend some time relaxing."

He turned to leave the room.

"Hey TJ," Jason said.

TJ paused, looking over his shoulder at Jason.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"Where's Tommy?" said Jason. "I haven't seen him since the debriefing."

"Oh, I think he's in his room, resting," TJ answered. "Said something about a headache after the explosion."

Jason frowned in concern, standing up.

"I don't think he should be left alone, then," he said. "What if he has a concussion?"

TJ held up a hand to stop him.

"D.E.C.A. is already monitoring the status of everyone on the ship after the fight," he said. "If something is wrong, she'll notify Andros and I right away."

Jason nodded slowly, returning to his seat. Nodding back, TJ headed out of the dining room.

Later that evening, all of the rangers gathered back in the dining room for dinner. Wes, Eric, Leo, Carter, Jason, and Cole had spent most of the afternoon on the simu-deck, entertaining themselves. When they arrived in the dining room, Andros, TJ, and Tommy were already there. Carter paused for a moment in the doorway, looking at Tommy and frowning. Tommy was sitting down at the table, his head in his heads as he leaned on his elbows. He didn't look up when the others walked in, but continued to stare down at his plate of food. Andros and TJ were sitting next to him talking quietly, most of their dinner already gone. The rest of the red rangers got their dinner from the Synthetron and took seats at the table.

"How are you feeling, Tommy?" Jason said, sitting across from him. "TJ said your head was hurting after the explosion."

Tommy glanced up at him, shrugging.

"My headache's gone," he said.

"Is something wrong with your food?" Jason asked, digging into his own dinner.

"No," Tommy answered, shaking his head. "Just not as hungry as I thought."

Before Jason could comment, Cole interrupted, complaining rather loudly to Andros.

"I think there's something wrong with the shower in Carlos' room," he said. "It wouldn't work right when I was in there earlier."

Andros frowned, looking up from his conversation with TJ.

"D.E.C.A.," he said. "Can you please run diagnostics on Carlos' shower?"

"Yes, Andros," she answered.

There was a short pause.

"Results are acceptable," D.E.C.A. said.

"Thank you," Andros said.

"How can results be acceptable when the shower kept going from frozen to scalding?" Cole exclaimed. "It's got to be wrong."

"She," Andros, TJ, Tommy, and Jason all corrected.

"She's tied into the whole system," Andros continued. "If D.E.C.A. says nothing is wrong, then nothing is wrong. You must have been turning the controls too far."

"I was not," Cole protested.

Shaking his head, Tommy stood up from the table and headed toward the door, leaving his food behind. Jason frowned, watching him. The others all glanced up as well.

"Tommy," Jason said.

Tommy paused, turning around to look at Jason.

"What's up, Jase?" he asked, leaning one shoulder casually against the door frame.

"Where are you going, bro?" Jason asked. "Is everything alright?"

"I'm fine, Jason," Tommy answered. "It was just a long morning. I think I'm gonna turn in for the night."

Jason frowned, looking at his watch.

"It's still pretty early," he said. "I thought maybe you and I could go a few rounds on the simu-deck. It's been a while."

Tommy took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment.

"I don't think that's a good idea tonight. How about a raincheck?" he said. "First thing in the morning."

Jason didn't answer for a moment, and then nodded.

"You're on," Jason said.

Tommy smiled.

"Great," he said. "I'll see you in the morning."

Tommy headed out the door. Jason frowned, staring at the door.

"I told you he was getting old," Cole muttered.

Jason turned around to glare at him. Cole shrunk down into his chair, flinching under Jason's gaze. Shaking his head, Jason stood up and took care of his plate before heading out of the room. Carter leaned over to Cole.

"Cole," he said. "You do realize the rest of us are all about the same age as Tommy, right? He just started young, before any of us."

"Oh," Cole said, looking around the room.

The rest of the rangers were looking at him with various irritated expressions. Looking back down at his plate, Cole tried very hard to concentrate on eating.

Out in the hallway, Jason paused.

"D.E.C.A.," Jason said. "Can I make a phone call? I need to talk to Trini."

"Yes, Jason," she said. "I can set up a connection for you in the briefing room."

"Thanks," Jason said. "I'll be right there."

Taking one last look down the hallway after Tommy, Jason turned and headed to the briefing room. Inside, he took a seat and waited for D.E.C.A. to connect him.

_"Hello?" _Trini said, her voice coming through the speaker in front of him.

Jason smiled.

"Hey," Jason said. "How are things at home?"

_"Jason!" _Trini exclaimed. _"Where are you?"_

"Still on the ship," Jason answered. "But we're on our way home."

_"How did the mission go?" _she asked. _"Did it succeed?"_

"Of course," Jason answered. "Did you expect anything less?"

_"Of course not," _Trini said.

Jason smiled, imagining her frowning at him over the phone.

"Anyways," he said. "I'll tell you more about it when I get home. There's something else I wanted to talk to you about."

_"What is it?" _Trini asked.

Jason took a deep breath, leaning back in his chair.

"It's about Tommy," he said.

_"Tommy is there?" _Trini exclaimed. _"Why didn't you tell me he was going to be there?"_

"I didn't know for sure until I arrived," Jason said. "I mean, he's the one who called, but that didn't mean he'd actually be here in person."

_"Right," _Trini said. _"So what's going on with Tommy?"_

"That's just it," Jason sighed. "I don't really know. Something's up with him, but he isn't telling. All I've managed to get out of him over the past day is the reason he missed our wedding. And he didn't even give me all of the details on that."

_"So what did he say about that?" _said Trini.

"He was in the hospital," Jason said.

There was a pause, the other end of the line silent.

_"He was where?" _Trini finally said.

"Yeah," Jason said. "The hospital."

_"I'm going to kill him," _Trini growled.

"Join the club," Jason said. "But that's beside the point right now. I think he's depressed about something, Trini. Tommy keeps disappearing, hiding in his room for hours on end. He just passed up an opportunity to spar with me."

_"I wonder what's going on?" _Trini said. _"I've never known him to pass up an opportunity to beat on you."_

"Hey!" Jason exclaimed. "He doesn't always win."

_"Whatever you say, dear," _Trini said distractedly. _"Do you think maybe he's lonely? He hasn't been to any get-togethers in years."_

"That's what I was thinking," Jason said. "What do you think about an impromptu reunion? I don't know who's in the area right now, but we could invite them over to our house."

_"But will Tommy come?" _she asked. _"I mean, he's never come when we invited him before."_

"I'll just invite the rest of the reds," Jason said. "Play it off as a celebration of a successful mission. He can't say no with everyone else coming."

_"Well, he could," _Trini said.

"Nah," Jason said, shaking his head. "Tommy wouldn't do that. Even if he doesn't really want to come."

_"Alright," _Trini said. _"I'll start making some phone calls and I'll see you when you get home. I love you."_

"Love you too," Jason said.

The line went silent. Leaning back in his chair again, Jason started thinking about the best way to extend the invitation.

The next morning, Jason arrived at the simu-deck to find Tommy already waiting for him. he was wearing cargo pants and a long-sleeved red shirt. Seeing Jason, Tommy straightened up from where he was leaning against the wall.

"Ready, bro?" he asked.

"Of course," Jason said. "It's gonna be just like old times. Umm… Why are you wearing that shirt?"

Jason looked down at his own pants and shirt, the sleeves cut off. Tommy shrugged.

"Let's get going," he said as an answer.

"Bring it on," Jason said.

"Hey guys!" Wes said. "Taking a turn on the simu-deck?"

Tommy and Jason turned to see the others approaching. TJ and Andros both looked concerned as they looked at Tommy, but the others didn't notice.

"Hey," Jason said. "What are you guys doing here?"

"We were gonna have another training session with Cole," Wes answered. "But it looks like you guys beat us to it."

"Well why don't you join us?" Jason asked. "We'll have our match and then the rest of you can join in."

Behind Jason, Tommy grimaced, rubbing a hand across his forehead. TJ and Andros exchanged glances.

"Sounds good to me," Leo said. "We haven't really seen Tommy in action since the moon. It'll be nice to see you fight up close."

"Mm hmm..." Tommy said, nodding.

They all entered the simu-deck, setting up the environment as a dojo. The other rangers all took up places around the room, out of the way. Tommy and Jason took places in the center. Sighing, Tommy got set in a ready position.

"Ready, bro?" Jason asked, grinning.

"Yeah," Tommy sighed. "Ready."

Both of them jumped into motion, Jason going full out into fighting mode. Tommy managed to hold him off for a little while, blocking kicks and hits. But it was all he could do to stay on the defensive, he couldn't attack back. On the one side of the room, TJ and Andros were trying not to panic. TJ was flinching every time Jason landed a hit. Andros had his face in his hands.

"Please don't die," he muttered under his breath. "Don't die. Hayley will kill us. Please don't die."

Tommy slipped up and Jason landed a solid kick, knocking him to the ground. Grunting as he landed, Tommy stayed down, staring up at the ceiling. Jason froze in surprise. TJ and Andros just stared in horror.

"Are you alright, bro?" Jason exclaimed, hurrying over to pull Tommy to his feet. "What happened?"

Tommy took a deep breath, leaning against Jason for a moment before straightening up.

"I guess I'm more out of practice than I thought," Tommy said, shrugging. "So, I think I'm going to bow out now before I embarrass myself more."

Jason frowned. Some of the other rangers exchanged looks.

"But you can fight better than that," Carter said. "I saw you on the moon."

"The morphers give quite a boost," Tommy said. "I'll see you guys around."

Before anyone could stop him, he slipped out. Jason stared after him, still surprised by the outcome of the fight.

"We're usually evenly matched," he muttered. "Wonder what that was about."

"How can he be such a legend if he can't even fight?" Cole commented, shaking his head.

Jason spun around to glare at him.

"Alright," he snapped. "That's it. Your turn, rookie. On the mat."

"Sure," Cole said, grinning. "This'll be fun."

With everyone else distracted by Cole and Jason, Andros and TJ slipped out of the simu-deck after Tommy.

Andros and TJ entered Tommy's room to find him lying on the bed, eyes closed and not moving.

"Tommy?" Andros said. "Are you al—"

"I'm fine, don't touch me," Tommy interrupted.

TJ and Andros exchanged glances. The room was silent for a moment.

"So," TJ said. "Should we—"

"Go," Tommy interrupted again, still not moving.

"Ok," TJ said as he and Andros headed back out the door. "We'll just check on you later."

They stepped out into the hallway.

"D.E.C.A., lock the door," they heard Tommy say behind them.

The door closed and they heard the click of the lock. They looked at each other and shrugged.

"Well," TJ said. "I guess we'd better get back to the simu-deck and make sure Jason hasn't killed Cole."

"Right," Andros said.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow," Cole muttered, sitting gingerly down in a chair in the dining room.

It was lunch time and the rangers had left the simu-deck to get something to eat. Tommy was already there, picking at a spinach salad. He looked at Cole, raising an eyebrow.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"He's fine," Jason answered, sitting down next to Tommy.

The other rangers shook their heads, sharing amused glances as they all joined the group at the table.

"He just had a personal training session with Jason," Eric said, grinning.

"Jason!" Tommy exclaimed, turning to look at his friend. "I told you that you weren't allowed to kill the rookie. We do need to return him to his team in one piece."

"He's still in one piece," Jason protested.

Cole glared at them.

"Would you stop calling me rookie!" he exclaimed.

Jason and Tommy both turned to look at him.

"Have you been a ranger longer than a year?" Tommy asked.

"Well, no—" Cole started.

"Then you're a rookie," Jason finished for Tommy.

Cole frowned, staring down at his lunch.

"Don't worry," Wes said, clapping a hand on Cole's shoulder. "We were all rookies at some point."

"Yeah," Eric agreed. "And you should hear some of the stupid things Wes did. Like during his first week as a ranger. He went to help paint a TV studio and managed to get himself captured and tied up by Nadira. The others had to save his butt."

"Wait a minute," Wes interrupted. "How did you hear about that? You weren't a ranger yet."

"Trip told me," Eric said with a shrug. "He told me all sorts of stories from before I joined."

"He is so lucky he's out of my reach," Wes grumbled. "I guess being in the future benefits him in this case."

Eric just smirked. Tommy yawned, leaning back in his chair.

"You could always leave him a note," he suggested. "Although I'd choose something other than paper to leave it on."

"Yeah, well I wasn't the only one doing stupid things," Wes said, glaring at Eric. "You had plenty of those moments yourself, Eric. How about when you found your morpher? I think sticking your hand inside that box without knowing what it would do was a pretty stupid idea."

"Not really," Eric said. "It was just a box. What was the worst that could have happened?"

"It could have been one of Ransik's traps," Wes countered. "You really would have been in trouble then."

"Don't worry about it, guys," Leo said. "We've all done stupid things. Right, rookie?"

"Not me," Cole said, crossing his arms in front of him.

The other rangers laughed. Tommy sighed, shaking his head at Cole before closing his eyes.

"Uh-huh, sure," Leo said, raising an eyebrow. "We'll see. I know I did on multiple occasions. Like when I joined Terra Venture's military. I was on duty and left the weapons dome unlocked. A monster got inside and had access to all of our weapons. And when I tried to fix it, I managed to place all five Quasar Sabers in Furios' hands. That almost ended really badly."

"We've all been there," Carter said. "Too cocky for our own good. When I first became a ranger, I managed to beat the record for the fastest time completing a training sequence. But if it had been a real gun in my hand, everyone would have died. I was moving too fast and not paying attention to what I was shooting at and hit a tank that would have caused a major explosion. It would have taken out the whole base. I slowed down after that, realizing I needed to pay attention to what I was doing."

The others nodded, agreeing with Carter.

"We've all had those lessons to learn," Jason agreed.

"Yeah," said Wes. "Being the leader isn't always what it's cracked up to be. You'll realize that sooner or later, Cole."

"Hey," he protested. "I'm not the one talking about stupid things I've done. I haven't done anything like that."

"I'm sure your team could come up with a few," TJ said with grin. "Teammates are the best ones to go to for dirt. Right, Andros?"

Andros rolled his eyes, shaking his head at TJ.

"But my favorite for myself is the time I was baked into a giant pi—" TJ started to continue.

"No," Andros said. "I am not listening to that story again. How about we try something else? Like the time you managed to lose your memory. That one is entertaining."

"Now wait a minute," TJ argued back. "You've done lots of stupid things, too."

Andros raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms in front of his chest as TJ continued.

"Let's see," TJ said. "The day we first met you insisted that you were going to fight by yourself and tried to get rid of us; you took off on your own and would have been killed if Carlos hadn't saved you; you were jealous of Zhane for a while. Oh! And there's always the whole car thieves incident."

"Car thieves?" Cole asked.

Andros groaned.

"Yeah," TJ said. "We were at school taking a test and somehow Andros ended up running around with a gang of car thieves. He helped them steal a car!"

"In my defense," Andros said. "It was one of my first visits to earth. And I did return the car. Plus, they turned out alright in the end."

He shrugged as some of the others laughed, shaking their heads. Cole looked around in surprise.

"I don't know why you guys are sounding so proud of this stuff," he said. "Why would you want everyone to know your mistakes?"

"Making mistakes is part of being a leader," Carter said. "If you don't learn from your mistakes, then you're just going to keep making them. And that would lead to disaster."

The rest of the rangers agreed. Cole just shook his head, still not agreeing. Jason smirked at him.

"I'd say stupid is a common theme when it comes to being a rookie," Jason said. "You should hear some of the things Tommy and I did. Right Tom—Tommy?"

Jason frowned, looking at his friend. He had turned around to find the other ranger asleep in his chair. But before he could do anything, D.E.C.A. interrupted the conversation.

"Andros," she said. "We are about to enter earth's atmosphere. Approval has been granted for approach and landing."

Tommy jerked awake when he heard D.E.C.A.'s voice. He sat up, looking around. Jason started to say something but was interrupted again.

"Alright everyone," Andros said, hopping out of his seat. "Strap yourselves in for approach."

Andros left the room, heading for the control room. TJ was right behind him. Seeing them leave, Tommy stood up and hurried after them. Jason and the others headed toward the briefing room to get strapped in.


	8. The Invitation

_Hey guys it's superdory57 again. :P just wanted to say thank you for the feedback! Keep reviewing, and telling us what you think we really really do appecated it. Also, if you have suggestions or constructive criticism send it along we want to know! :D The characters are going to be changing around here not to much longer so hope you enjoy! _

* * *

On earth at the Nasada Space Port, the rangers exited the megaship. Wes and Cole jostled each other as they headed down the ramp, the rest of the rangers trailing behind them. Andros and TJ stayed on board a little longer, making sure everything was locked down. When the group reached the bottom of the ramp, they paused and looked around at each other.

"Alright," Jason said. "So, before we all take off back to our own lives, I've got an invitation for all of you. I spoke to Trini on the way home, and we'd like to have you all over for dinner tonight. And you don't have to worry about a place to sleep. We've got guest rooms and a couch."

Tommy groaned quietly as the others exchanged excited glances.

"Sounds great to me," Wes said. "We don't need to be back tonight. Right, Eric?"

Eric shrugged, nodding in agreement.

"I'm in, too," Cole said. "Now that we're back on earth my team can just call me if I need to be back."

"Aquabase will survive without me for one more day," Carter said. "I'll just let them know I'll be home tomorrow."

"Well, I can't leave until Andros and TJ leave earth," Leo said. "So count me in."

"Great!" Jason said. "What about you, Tommy?"

He turned around to look at Tommy expectantly.

"I don't know, Jase," Tommy said slowly. "I—"

Before Tommy could finish answering, he was interrupted.

"YOU IDIOT!" a woman screamed across the hanger.

Tommy groaned again, rubbing a hand across his forehead. The other rangers all turned to see who was yelling, and why. The woman was storming across the hanger toward them.

"Aww… crap. This day just keeps getting better," Tommy muttered.

"Who is that?" Wes asked as she came closer.

"Someone I was hoping wouldn't catch me here," Tommy sighed.

His head jerked forward. She had reached them, smacking him in the back of the head.

"Ouch!" Tommy exclaimed, putting a hand to the back of his head and turning around. "Hi, Hayley."

The other rangers were looking at her in surprise. Hayley stood in front of Tommy, glaring at him with her hands on her hips.

"Umm… He does have a concussion," Carter said in concern.

Tommy groaned as Hayley's eyes narrowed.

"Oh good," she said. "We can add that to the list."

"You just had to tell her, didn't you," Tommy grumbled.

"Sorry," Carter said. "I was just trying to help."

"I know," Tommy sighed. "You're fine. Anyways, how did you find me?"

Hayley crossed her arms in front of her.

"Hmmm… I don't know," she said. "Maybe it was when I called the resort and Bulk and Skull said you had left early. Or that I couldn't find you anywhere. Or that you weren't answering your phone. Or the fact that I used to work here. Or how about the GPS tracker I planted on you?"

"Hayley!" Tommy exclaimed. "I thought had that discussion already. How that is not ok."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," she said. "And I haven't actually done it yet. But at the rate you're going I will."

All of the other rangers were staring at Hayley in complete shock. They didn't know how to react to her.

"Ummm… Is this your girlfriend, Tommy?" Jason asked hesistantly.

"NO!" Tommy and Hayley both yelled, glaring at Jason.

He put his hands up, taking a step backward.

"So when were you planning on telling me you were going to the moon?" Hayley snapped, turning back to Tommy.

"Well—Never," Tommy said. "I wasn't planning on telling you."

"Did you really think I wouldn't find out?" she asked.

"I can hope," Tommy grumbled.

Cole looked around at the others, and then back at Hayley and Tommy.

"Is she your pink ranger?" he asked.

Hayley immediately whipped around, turning her glare on Cole.

"Hayley, no," Tommy said, putting at arm out to stop her. "That's the rookie. His team isn't done yet and they need him. You can't kill him right now."

She stopped, her glare still focused on the youngest red ranger. He took a step backward.

"Fine," she snapped, turning back to Tommy. "But his team won't need him forever. I can wait."

Cole paled, looking around at the others. They just shrugged.

"Way to put your foot in your mouth, rookie," Jason muttered, leaning over to Cole. "And she's definitely not a pink ranger. Not even close."

TJ and Andros emerged from the ship, talking as they came down the ramp. Halfway down, they realized Hayley was there. They froze for a moment, looking at each other in horror. Spinning around, both men headed back up the ramp.

"Freeze!" Hayley yelled, catching sight of them.

Groaning, TJ and Andros stopped.

"You two aren't going anywhere yet," Hayley said. "I'm not done with you."

Sighing, both of the rangers walked dejectedly down the ramp to join the others.

"Wait, you know her, too?" Wes asked.

"Yeah," TJ said. "We know her."

Hayley glared at them and they flinched.

"Now," she said, looking at Tommy again. "Is there anything else I should know? Besides the concussion? And the fact that you missed your appointment?"

"Hayley," Tommy hissed quietly so no one else could hear. "Not in front of them. And I'll be fine. Andros and TJ took care of it on the megaship."

She shot the other two rangers another glare. They both flinched again. The others looked around in confusion, trying to figure out what was going on.

"Fine," she said. "But I'm still telling your mother."

"Wait a minute," Tommy responded. "Hayley—"

"Nope," she said. "You're not going to get out of it this time. I'm telling your mother that you skipped out on part of the vacation she set up for you to work."

"Hayley," Tommy groaned.

Crossing her arms in front of her, Hayley smirked.

"I guess next time you won't try and keep secrets from me," she said. "You know I always find out."

Tommy sighed, rolling his eyes and muttering under his breath. Jason glanced back and forth between the two.

"Ok," Jason said. "So, I don't mean to interrupt this—discussion, but I need your answer Tommy. We gotta get going."

"I don't think it's gonna work this time, bro," Tommy said, running a hand through his hair. "It's not that I don't want to. It's just that I really need to get back to wo—"

"The answer to what?" Hayley interrupted.

"Oh," Jason said. "I invited everyone over to my house for dinner tonight. The rest of the group is coming, but I guess Tommy is busy… You know Trini is not going to like that answer, bro."

"Oh!" Hayley exclaimed. "But that's perfect! He can definitely come."

Tommy groaned.

"Hayley, I need to get back to work," he protested. "I already took almost a week off. They're expecting me back."

"Well, maybe next time you won't cut your vacation short," she said. "You're supposed to be relaxing."

"I didn't exactly plan this," Tommy argued. "It just came up."

"Too bad," Hayley said. "You're going and you are going to have fun."

"But all of my stuff is still at the resort," Tommy said. "I have to go get it."

"Oh. And just how were you planning on getting back there?" Hayley asked.

"Cab," Tommy said with a shrug.

Shaking her head and rolling her eyes, Hayley reached into her pocket.

"And how were you planning on calling one?" she asked, holding out a cell phone.

Tommy frowned, patting his pockets.

"You left it in the apartment," she said. "I found it this morning after I called it for the twentieth time."

Sighing, he reached out to take the phone from her. But she pulled it away, sticking it back in her pocket.

"Wait, you two share an apartment?" Wes said.

TJ snickered and Tommy turned around to glare at him.

"Yes," he growled. "We're roommates. Although sometimes I'm not sure why."

As he finished talking he turned around to look at Hayley again. She just smirked.

"He's like my little brother," Hayley said, shoving Tommy's shoulder. "Someone needs to look after him. If I didn't, he'd be dead."

Tommy shook his head, grumbling again.

"I know the feeling," Jason said. "He almost got himself killed on the mission saving his butt."

Jason jerked a thumb at Cole.

"Hey!" Cole protested. "I was doing just fine on my own. It's his own fault he got hurt."

Tommy turned to stare at Jason in horror, too late to stop him. Hayley turned her glare back on Tommy, her eyes narrowing as she took a step forward. Jabbing a finger into his chest, she started pushing him backward as she spoke until he ran into the ship.

"You what?" she said, a dangerous glint in her eyes. "What happened?"

"Hayley," Tommy said, his hands up. "Everything is fine. I'm standing right here. See? I'm alive. Nothing to worry about."

"Spill," Hayley hissed, jabbing her finger in his chest again.

"Can't this wait til later?" Tommy asked, looking over at the others.

They were still staring, not really sure if they should help him or not. Hayley took a deep breath, glancing over at the rangers behind her.

"You are so lucky they're here," she muttered. "But we will be finishing this."

"Fine," Tommy relented. "I'll tell you everything. Just not now. Alright?"

Hayley nodded, taking another deep breath before turning around.

"Alright," she said. "Now, Jason, right?"

Jason nodded.

"Tommy will be coming with you," she said.

"Hayley—" Tommy started to protest behind her.

She turned around to glare at him. Sighing, he stopped, leaning back against the ship.

"Like I was saying," she continued. "He'd be happy to come visit you tonight. I will be going to pick up his stuff from the resort if someone else could give him a ride."

"Well, I'm on a motorcycle," Jason said, glancing around.

"He can ride with me," TJ said, shooting up his hand.

"TJ!" Tommy exclaimed.

"What?" TJ said. "I'm sorry. But she scares me more than you do, man."

Hayley smirked.

"Thank you, TJ," she said. "Tommy, get in the car."

"Hayley—" he said.

"Get. In. The. Car," she said, point toward TJ's car.

"Fine," Tommy grumbled, straightening up and heading toward the car.

"Yeah, Tommy," TJ said, laughing. "Get in the car."

Tommy paused, turning to look at TJ. The rest of the rangers had started dispersing to their own vehicles.

"Do I get to drive?" Tommy asked, holding out a hand.

"Yeah right," TJ said. "I'm not letting you drive my baby."

Tommy raised an eyebrow.

"I might feel safer," Andros said.

"Hey!" TJ exclaimed, turning to frown at Andros.

"What?" Andros said. "At least he's trained to drive fast."

The walked over to the car with Tommy and started to climb in.

"And besides," he said. "I'm pretty sure everything I've read about driving on earth says that stop signs aren't optional."

"Nah," TJ said. "The ones with the white borders are always optional."

He and Andros shut their doors, cutting off their conversation. Tommy groaned, opening his door and climbing in. Shaking her head, Hayley turned to Jason. She pulled a card out of her pocket and handed it to him.

"Here," she said. "Text me your address. I'll meet you guys there after I stop at the resort."

Jason nodded, taking the card. Without another word, Hayley turned and strode out of the hanger. Shaking his head, Jason headed to his motorcycle. He climbed on, pausing to text Hayley before taking off, leading the caravan of cars to his house.


	9. Meeting Everyone

Pulling up in the street in front of Jason's house, the rangers parked their vehicles and climbed out. Jason led the way up the driveway. Sighing, Tommy trailed behind the rest of the group. Opening the door, Jason let the others into the house. But before Tommy could follow, Trini came running out. Seeing Tommy, her face lit up in a smile. He paused, smiling hesitantly back. But as she strode forward, her smile turned to a glare. Tommy started backing away, his hands up.

"You stupid idiot!" Trini yelled as she reached him.

She started hitting him, pounding on his chest with her fists. Tommy did his best to block the blows, wincing with every hit.

"Do you have any idea how worried we've been about you?" she yelled. "Never coming to anything. Never calling anyone. No one ever sees you. You could have been dead and we wouldn't have known because no one tells us anything. Jason almost didn't go on the mission because he thought you didn't want us around. You stupid moron! How could you do this to us? You can't just up and take off without saying anything. We care about you, you idiot!"

"Ow, ow. Trini. Ow," he said. "Ok. Hi. Yeah. Ow!"

He finally grabbed her wrists, stopping her from hitting him.

"It's good to see you, too," Tommy said, looking down at her.

Trini just glared up at him.

"How about we go inside," Tommy suggested, looking up toward the porch.

Jason was still standing by the door, shaking his head and laughing. Zach had joined him and was leaning against the railing, smirking at Tommy.

"Hey, Zach," Tommy said, nodding in his direction.

"You are in so much trouble, man," Zach said. "Just wait until everyone else gets here."

Tommy frowned, looking down at Trini. He was still holding her by the wrists and her glare hadn't shifted.

"Who's coming?" he asked.

"Everyone," Trini answered. "It was Jason's idea and most of us were in the area."

Tommy groaned, letting go of Trini. But she didn't give him a chance to escape. Trini grabbed his sleeve and started tugging him toward the house. He grudgingly followed her. Inside the house the other red rangers had gathered off to the side, not sure what to do with themselves. Once Tommy, Trini, and Zach were inside, Jason followed and shut the door behind him.

"You can let go now, Trini," Tommy said.

"Are you going to try and leave?" she asked.

"No, Trini," Tommy sighed. "I'm not leaving."

Trini nodded and let go. Tommy looked around, running a hand through his hair. Seeing someone he didn't expect, Tommy froze.

"Billy?" he said.

Billy smiled.

"Greetings," he said. "It's been a long time."

"When did you get back?" Tommy exclaimed, moving over to where Billy was standing.

"Well, if you had come to his welcome home party you would know," Trini said, crossing her arms over her chest.

Tommy frowned, looking over at Trini.

"Welcome home party?" he said. "I didn't get an invitation to that."

"I know I wrote you one," Trini said. "I triple checked my list."

Jason cleared his through, shifting his weight to his other foot.

"Umm… I may have dropped some of them in a puddle when I was taking them to the mailbox," he said. "It was down pouring that day and I slipped—"

"Jason!" Trini exclaimed, turning her glare on her husband. "Why didn't you tell me?"

He shrugged.

"I didn't realize I had lost one," he said. "And I just dropped the rest of them in the mailbox…"

"We'll talk about that later," she growled.

"That's why mine looked like someone sat on it," Zach commented.

Jason glared at him. Zach shrugged, grinning.

"Wow, Jason," Cole said. "You were right. Your wife is kinda scary."

Jason's eyes grew really wide as Trini whipped around, glaring at him and Cole.

"You said what?" she snapped.

"Ok, that was really out of context," Jason protested. "I was threatening him with you after he hurt Tommy."

Freezing, Trini turned her full glare on Cole. He took a step backward.

"He did what?" she exclaimed.

"The rookie was being a show off and Tommy had to tackle him out of the path of an explosion," Jason said. "They got caught in the tail end and hit the ground pretty hard."

Tommy spun around, grabbing Trini around the waist as she launched herself at Cole. He held her as she struggled to get away.

"Trini, no," he said.

"I'm going to kill him," she said. "Put me down."

Tommy just gripped her harder. She was off the ground, his arms still around her waist. Jason was just shaking his head, trying not to laugh. Zach was doubled over while the other red rangers and Billy just watched, waiting to see what would happen. Cole was backed against the wall.

"Why am I the only one keeping him alive?" Tommy muttered. "Trini, you can't kill him. His team isn't done yet. They need him."

"They'll be fine without him," she growled, trying to pry away Tommy's hands. "I'm sure they can find a replacement."

"No, Trini," Tommy said.

"Fine," she muttered. "But they won't need him forever. And as soon as they don't—"

"Get in line," Tommy sighed. "Hayley's already called dibs. Can I let go now?"

"Yes," Trini grumbled. "I won't kill him yet."

Tommy let go, setting Trini down on the ground. She glared at Cole for another moment and then spun to look at Tommy.

"Now who's Hayley?" she asked.

"She's his roommate," Jason answered.

Trini looked over at Jason in surprise.

"What?" she exclaimed, looking back at Tommy. "You live with a girl?"

Tommy sighed.

"Nice," Zach said, grinning.

Tommy turned to glare at Zach.

"We're just friends," he snapped.

"Uh huh. Sure," Zach smirked.

Tommy continued to glare at him. Jason shook his head.

"Ok," Trini said, interrupting. "Since when do you spend time with girls who aren't rangers? And do I know her?"

"Umm… Well," Tommy started to say.

"Forget it, Trini," Jason said. "She'll be here later. Let's do introductions for the people who are currently present instead."

She glared at Jason, but nodded. He turned to the other red rangers, who were still standing in a group on one side of the room.

"Alright," Jason said. "This is—"

The front door banged open and four more people hurried inside.

"And never mind," Jason muttered, turning to see who had just arrived.

It was two women and two men. They stopped just inside the door, looking around.

"You're here!" one of the women exclaimed.

Tommy raised a hand, nodding at them.

"Hey, Aisha," he said. "Rocky. Adam. Tanya."

"Tommy!" Rocky yelled.

Rocky ran forward and, before he knew what was going on, hit Tommy around the middle and tackled him to the ground. He grunted in pain. TJ and Andros both gasped in horror, leaping forward to help Tommy.

"Agh," Tommy groaned. "That—hurt… Mmmm…"

"Get off of him!" TJ snapped, yanking Rocky up by the back of his shirt and pushing him away.

Andros stepped in to help Tommy up. Tommy grimaced as he straightened, one arm wrapped around his stomach.

"That didn't feel good," he muttered.

"Are you alright?" Andros asked quietly.

Tommy nodded, waving Andros away as he straightened up, taking a deep breath. He winced again, but shook it off. Andros stayed nearby, watching Tommy closely. TJ was still standing next to Rocky, glaring at him.

"I'm fine," he answered. "It's nice to see you, too, Rocky."

"Sorry, Tommy," Rocky said. "It's just been so long…"

Tommy held up a hand.

"You're fine," he said. "Let's just—not do that again for a while. Ok?"

Rocky nodded. Taking another deep breath, Tommy looked around.

"Guess you're gonna have a full house, Jase," he said. "Just about everyone is here."

Jason shrugged. Looking around, Eric sighed and then strode forward. He stopped in front of Rocky and stuck his hand out.

"I'm Eric," he said.

Looking at him in surprise, Rocky took the proffered hand.

"Rocky," he said.

He looked over at Jason, wanting an explanation.

"Yeah," Adam said, glancing over at the other rangers. "Umm… Who are they? They're staring at us…"

"Right!" Jason exclaimed. "Introductions."

He stepped up in between the two groups.

"Alright guys," he said to the originals. "These are some of the other red rangers. They went on the mission with Tommy and I. There's TJ, red Turbo ranger."

"Hey," TJ said, waving a hand before glaring at Rocky again.

"Andros, red Space ranger."

Andros nodded.

"Leo, red Lost Galaxy ranger."

Leo grinned.

"Carter, red Lightspeed Rescue ranger."

"Nice to meet you," Carter said.

"Wes, red Time Force ranger.

Wes grinned, nodding.

"Eric, Quantum ranger."

Eric crossed his arms over his chest, nodding.

"And finally," Jason finished. "Cole, red Wild Force ranger and the current rookie."

"Can't you drop the rookie thing?" Cole asked.

"Have you been a ranger for more than a year?" Trini asked.

"Not that again!" Cole exclaimed.

"I'll take that as a no," Trini said. "Then you're a rookie."

"Not cool," Cole grumbled.

"That's one of our unofficial rules," Zach said. "Although we really should start writing these things down…"

Jason just laughed, shaking his head.

"Deal with it, rookie," he said. "Now, for those of you reds who know your ranger history, you know who we are. But I'll do introductions anyways."

He gestured back toward the rest of the group.

"Zach, black Mighty Morphin' ranger."

"What's up?" Zach grinned.

"Billy, blue Mighty Morphin' ranger."

"Greetings," Billy said.

"Trini, yellow Mighty Morphin' ranger."

Trini smiled.

"Aisha, second yellow Mighty Morphin' ranger."

"Hey," she said.

"Adam, green Zeo ranger."

Adam nodded.

"Rocky, blue Zeo ranger."

"Yo," Rocky grinned.

"Tanya, yellow Zeo ranger."

"Good to meet you," she said.

"And of course," Jason continued. "You know Tommy and I from the mission. We're currently missing Kat and Kim, our two pink rangers. But they'll be here later."

The red rangers nodded at the originals. Cole shook his head, too, but there was confusion on his face after all of the names he was trying to process.

"Oh good," Tommy said, shaking his head. "We're having a family reunion. I thought this was supposed to be a gathering for red rangers."

Jason shrugged.

"Yeah, well, I expanded the invitation list," Jason said. "Ok. You know what? I lied. This was the plan from the start. But Trini made the phone calls."

Tommy groaned. Trini just smiled, waving her fingers at him as she laughed. The door opened again and Hayley walked in.

"Alright," she said, heading straight toward Tommy. "Here's your bag."

She tossed it at him and he caught it with a grunt as it hit him in the chest.

"Hey Hayley," he winced.

"Hayley?" Trini said, looking at her. "Hi! I'm—"

"Trini," Hayley finished for her. "It's nice to meet you."

Trini frowned, looking at her in confusion.

"Wait," she said. "How did you know?"

Hayley just smiled.

"Oh, I know who all of you are," she said.

Trini's frown deepened and she looked over at Tommy. He was digging through his bag, which he had set on the couch.

"Don't worry about it, Trini," he said without turning around. "She figured everything out a long time ago. Hayley, have you seen my ce—"

He turned around to see Hayley holding out his phone.

"Oh, right," Tommy said. "I forgot you had it."

Tommy took the phone from Hayley and started looking through messages.

"How did you find out?" Trini asked.

"Yeah," Zach said. "Tommy blow his cover?"

"Actually," Hayley said, smirking. "I figured it out from the five originals. After that it was easy. Yearbooks are wonderful things. Besides, Tommy has pictures with all of you. He was the one I had trouble with."

"Hayley!" Tommy exclaimed, interrupting. "You realize I have at least six messages from A—"

"Well then go call him," she said, glaring at him. "Then I can tell him you haven't been relaxing like you were supposed to be."

Tommy grimaced and then sighed, sticking his phone back in his pocket.

"I'll just tell him I lost my phone again," he muttered.

Hayley just smirked at him.

"So, what's for dinner, Trini?" Rocky asked.

She didn't answer right away, frowning as she thought about it.

"Umm… I really don't know," she said. "I wasn't thinking about how many people we'd have… Oh well. Time to go to the grocery store. Jason. Adam. Rocky. Car. Now."

"Wait, what?" Rocky said. "Why us?"

"Go on, honey," Aisha said. "You heard Trini."

"You too, Adam," Tanya said.

Adam shrugged, heading for the garage.

"But why not them?" Rocky asked, looking at the other originals.

Trini gave him a look and put her hands on her hips.

"Because Tommy was hurt on the mission, Zach got here first, and Billy—well, I just like him better," she said.

"What?" Rocky exclaimed.

Trini shrugged, heading toward the door. Jason shook his head and started pushing Rocky out after her.

"Just go with it, man," he said. "She doesn't have to have valid reasons for her decisions. Let's go."

Trini stood staring at the shelf trying to decide what kind of meat to buy for dinner. Picking up two different packages, she turned around to look at Jason, Rocky, and Adam who were standing behind her.

"Should I get ground pork or turkey?" she asked, holding up the two packages.

Jason shrugged.

"I don't know, honey," he said. "But I don't think it really matters. I mean, you know we're going to eat anything you cook."

Trini glared at him.

"You are so not helpful," she muttered, turning back around. "Oh! Hi Mrs. Oliver!"

"Hello, Trini," Mrs. Oliver said, walking up with her cart. "How are you doing, dear?"

Trini smiled, giving the other woman a hug.

"We're doing fine," she said. "Just needed a few things for dinner. What do you think? Ground pork or turkey?"

"Go with ground pork," Mrs. Oliver answered. "Has more flavor."

"Thanks," Trini said, putting the turkey down. "They aren't a whole lot of help."

She glanced over her shoulder, glaring at the three men again.

"So what are you cooking, dear?" Mrs. Oliver asked.

"Spaghetti and meatballs," Trini answered. "Rather large group at the house today and I wanted something simple."

Mrs. Oliver reached over and took the package of ground pork from Trini.

"Then you don't want that big package," she said. "Here. Take a small one of ground pork and one of ground beef. Mix them together and the meatballs will taste wonderful."

"Thank you!" Trini said, taking the meat and putting it in her cart. "Jason, why can't you ever help like this?"

He shrugged.

"I don't know," he said. "I mean, the last time you sent me to the grocery store by myself you made me come back a second time."

"That's because you forgot to buy half of the things on the list!" Trini exclaimed.

"Well, I couldn't find them," Jason protested.

Trini sighed, shaking her head.

"Oh I know how that goes," Mrs. Oliver said. "But you have to train them young or they're completely hopeless. I gave up on my husband a long time ago. But luckily I think I taught Tommy right. He almost never forgets something. And then it's usually because he misplaced the list in the store."

"Sounds about right," Jason said, grinning.

"Yes," Mrs. Oliver said. "He always has been a bit forgetful. And he hasn't stopped by in quite a while. I understand he's busy, what with work, and school, and all of the hospital visits. He barely has any time for himself. I do wish he'd stop by more often though… Oh, goodness! Listen to me ramble. I'd better get going and get some of these frozens home. And if you leave those three standing around too much longer they'll start to get antsy. But it was nice to see you, dear."

"Bye Mrs. Oliver," the four rangers said as she moved away.

As soon as she was out of sight and earshot, they all turned to look at each other.

"Hospital visits?" Trini hissed. "I thought you said it was just the one!"

"I did," Jason said. "That was all he told me about. Right before our wedding."

"Is that why he wasn't there?" Rocky asked.

"Duh!" Trini and Jason exclaimed, glaring at him.

"Sorry," Rocky mumbled, putting his hands up.

Adam frowned, looking at the other three.

"The way she was talking about it," he said. "It sounds like he's getting treatment of some kind. I wonder what for?"

The four rangers exchanged glances.

"Alright," Trini said. "I only need a few more things. Jason, parmesan cheese. Rocky, oregano. Adam, fresh basil. Be quick and meet me at the register."

"Got it," Jason said, taking off.

Trini headed away with the cart. Adam started to hurry away when Rocky grabbed him by the arm.

"Wait," he said. "What's oregano?"

"It's a spice," Adam said, pausing. "Down the spice aisle."

"Huh?" Rocky said, still confused.

Adam sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Alright," Adam said. "I'll get the oregano. You get the fresh basil."

He took off toward the spice aisle, Rocky close on his heels.

"What's basil?" Rocky called after him.

"It's down the produce aisle," Adam yelled over his shoulder. "It's leafy and green."

Rocky frowned, but headed for the produce. When he got there he stopped and stared.

"But it's all green!" he cried. "Umm… This looks leafy."

He grabbed some and took off for the front of the store. When he got to the registers, he found Jason and Adam already there, watching Trini check through her list.

"Alright," she muttered. "I have everything except the basil. Where's Roc—Oh!"

Trini looked up just as Rocky reached them.

"Good," she said, and then frowned. "Rocky, that's parsley."

"What?" he said, looking down at the produce he was carrying.

Trini closed her eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath. Setting down her list, she opened her eyes stepped around the cart.

"Jason, start checking out," Trini said. "We'll be right back."

Grabbing Rocky by the front of the shirt, she dragged him back to the produce aisle to find the basil.


	10. What's Wrong

When they arrived back at the house, the four rangers hurried inside with the first load of groceries. The other rangers were laughing and talking in the living room. Jason, Rocky, and Adam went to get another load, leaving Trini in the kitchen.

_"You did what to your hair?"_ Zach exclaimed.

_"I didn't do anything,"_ Tommy protested.

_"He's right,"_ Hayley said._ "He was pretty much passed out drunk at the time."_

_"Hayley!"_ Tommy exclaimed.

Carter walked into the kitchen, having heard them pull up.

"Can I help?" he asked.

"Umm… Sure," Trini said, shaking herself. "There are more groceries in the car."

Carter nodded and headed out the door to the car. Trini took a deep breath, leaning against the counter as Jason walked in.

_"Ok. That's it!" _they heard Tommy exclaim. _"If you don't stop telling stories about me, Hayley, I'm going to start sharing embarrassing stories about you."_

_ "Oh, is that so?" _Hayley said. _"Do you even have any stories about me?"_

_ "How about the time I caught you in—" _Tommy's voice cut off mid-sentence as though someone had covered his mouth.

"So what do you think is going on?" Trini said softly. "He's not acting sick."

"I don't know," Jason said, looking toward the living room. "But I kind of want to hear what they're talk—"

"Jason! Focus!" Trini exclaimed. "Tommy's mother made it sound like he's been going to the hospital regularly for treatments. Something has to be wrong."

There was a thump behind them and Trini and Jason turned around to see Carter. They hadn't heard him come in. He was bending down to pick up the packages of meat he had just dropped.

"Are you ok, man?" Jason asked.

Carter jerked up, staring at Jason.

"Huh? Oh! Yes," he said, shaking himself. "I'm fine."

Jason frowned.

"You know something, don't you?" he said. "About Tommy?"

Carter's eyes widened.

"What?" he exclaimed. "No. I don't—"

"Spill," Trini said. "Now."

Trini and Jason both advanced toward Carter. He started backing up.

"Trini," he protested weakly. "I really don't know anything."

"Now, Carter," she hissed.

Rocky and Adam came back in to see Carter being back into a corner.

"What's going on?" Adam asked, setting his bag down.

"He knows something about Tommy!" Trini snapped, not turning around.

Rocky dropped his bag on the counter.

"What?" he said.

"Listen, guys," Carter said. "I don't actually know anything—"  
"Hey," Rocky said as he and Adam joined the other two. "He's our teammate. Tell us now."

"I really can't," Carter stammered, looking around for an escape. "I mean, I shouldn't—"

"Carter!" Jason snapped.

Carter was trapped against the wall, the other four rangers surrounding him.

"Ok, ok," Carter said, holding his hands up. "I really don't know anything for sure. But—I may have seen something on the megaship last night. And I don't think I was supposed to from the way Andros was acting all jumpy and with Tommy not telling anyone anything."

The four rangers glared at him, crossing their arms in front of them. Carter took a deep breath, glancing around nervously again.

"Alright," Carter said. "He was in the med bay when I went to get the first aid kit for Cole. I saw him through the window with TJ and Andros. He was hooked up to something. I couldn't really get a good look. But—well—"

"Carter," Trini growled.

"The way he was hooked up," Carter said hesitantly. "It was kind of like some of the kids Dana is working with. The ones who are on chemo."

The room was silent for a moment.

"Tommy could have cancer?" Adam said slowly.

There was another pause as the rangers exchanged looks. Trini whipped around toward the living room.

"TOMMY!" she yelled.

In the living room, Tommy groaned, shaking his head as Hayley started on another story.

"I give up," he muttered, throwing his hands up in the air. "I'm going to help with dinner."

He started heading toward the kitchen, but froze when Trini suddenly screamed his name. Tommy spun around to look back in the living room.

"Andros, TJ, Billy, Hayley," he muttered quickly, running down the list.

His eyes widened.

"Oh crap," he said. "Grocery day—Mom!"

Without pausing, Tommy bolted for the front door. Hayley looked up in confusion when she saw him bolt.

"Where is he?" Trini demanded, storming into the room.

Rocky, Adam, and Jason were right behind her. Wordlessly, Hayley pointed toward the front door. The three guys tore off after him. Carter trailed in behind them and took a seat in the living room. Trini stood in the hallway, glaring in the direction the guys had gone. The rest of the rangers looked around in confusion. A few minutes later Jason and Rocky returned.

"Where is he?" Trini demanded.

"He hopped the fence!" Jason exclaimed.

"Several of them," Rocky added. "As in at least six."

"Where's Adam?" Tanya asked.

"Chasing Tommy," Jason answered. "He was moving the fastest, so we let him take the chase."

Hayley sighed, standing up.

"Come on," she said.

"What?" Jason said.

"If you want to catch him we'd better get in the car," Hayley said. "Or you're going to miss your chance."

She headed toward the door and everyone started following her. But they all stopped when Hayley turned around to look

"No," Hayley said, shaking her head. "You three, come on. The rest of you, wait here."

Hayley pointed at Trini, Jason, and Rocky. They immediately headed out the door.

"What about the rest of us?" Zach exclaimed. "We want to know what's going on."

"We'll explain when we get back," Hayley said. "We can't take a caravan with us, she'll get suspicious. And I don't have that many seats in my car."

Leaving the rangers standing in the living room, Hayley hurried out to her car and they took off.

Hayley turned down the street and pulled up in front of the Olivers' house.

"So why do we have to beat Tommy here again?" Rocky asked, looking out the window.

Hayley parked the car and turned it off.

"Because," she said. "If he beats us here, we won't be able to grab him. Once his mom knows he's here, he's safe. She won't let us do anything to him."

"Then let's hope we beat him," Jason said as he climbed out of the car. "Or that Adam caught him."

They walked up toward the house. Adam was sitting on the porch steps. Seeing them approaching, he started shaking his head.

"I couldn't catch him," he said. "He was too fast. Tommy beat me here, got inside, and locked the doors. All of them."

Hayley sighed.

"Well, we have one more chance," she said. "Hope that neither of his parents is home yet. I know where the spare key is—"

The door opened and Tommy stepped out onto the porch.

"Too late," he interrupted. "Mom's just unloading the last of the groceries. Here you go, Adam."

Tommy tossed the other ranger a water bottle and then leaned against the doorframe, crossing his arms over his chest. Adam took it gratefully and took a drink.

"Nice chase," Tommy said. "A little slow, though."

"How did you move that fast?" Adam asked. "It was all I could do to keep you in sight."

Tommy held up one arm and flicked his wrist, calling his Zeo morpher.

"These things give a nice boost in a pinch," Tommy said, smirking.

Jason growled, walking up the steps with one hand reaching to grab him. Tommy didn't move.

"What are you all doing here?" Mrs. Oliver exclaimed from behind Tommy.

Jerking his hand backward, Jason stepped away from Tommy.

"Didn't I just see you at the grocery store, Jason?" she asked, joining them on the porch. "Hayley!"

"Hi, Mrs. Oliver," Hayley said, smiling.

She walked up and gave the older woman a hug. Adam hopped up from his seat on the steps as Rocky and Trini moved to join the rest of them on the porch.

"You did, Mrs. Oliver," Jason said. "We're actually here to get Tommy."

"Oh," she said, looking up at Tommy.

"Don't worry, mom," he said. "I don't need to leave just yet."

"That's wonderful," she said, beaming. "Why don't all of you come inside?"

Not waiting for an answer, Mrs. Oliver turned and headed back into the house. Smirking, Tommy followed her with Hayley right behind him. Grumbling, the four rangers followed. Inside the house, the whole group stopped in the living room. Hayley didn't even pause. She just sat down in one of the reclining chairs and made herself comfortable. Mrs. Oliver hurried out of the room, disappearing down the hallway. The minute she was gone, all four rangers turned glares on Tommy.

"Alright, bro," Jason said. "Spill. What is going on?"

Tommy raised an eyebrow, leaning back against the wall.

"With what?" he asked.

"I don't know," Jason said. "How about the fact that you just ran from my house to yours?"

Tommy shook his head.

"I used to do that all the time," he said. "How is that anything special?"

Hayley was laughing in her chair, shaking her head as the conversation continued.

"For no reason?" Jason snapped. "Out of nowhere?"

"I felt like a workout," Tommy answered, shrugging.

Jason glared at him.

"Oh, is that so?" he said. "You just suddenly felt like a workout right after Trini yelled for you?"

"And felt the need to jump seven fences?" Adam added.

"It seemed like as good of a time as any," Tommy said.

Rocky growled stalking toward Tommy, his hands outstretched to grab him.

"That's it!" he snapped. "You're going to talk. Now. Or I'm going to—"

"Rockford DeSantos!" Mrs. Oliver scolded, walking back into the room.

Rocky froze, staring at her in surprise. Dropping his arms, he took a step backward. Hayley started laughing harder. Tommy just shook his head, smiling, as the other rangers stayed where they were.

"No rough housing inside," she continued. "If you want to start one of your wrestling matches, take it outside. And leave Tommy out of it. He's supposed to be relaxing. I swear. It's like having teenagers in the house all over again."

Hayley nodded, still laughing. She found the whole situation highly entertaining.

"Yes. Yes it is," she agreed.

Mrs. Oliver looked around the room. Hayley was the only one sitting. Everyone else was still standing around.

"Sit down, sit down," Mrs. Oliver said. "There's no need to stand around staring at each other."

Shrugging, the rangers sighed and took seats. Rocky dropped down to sit on the floor where he was sitting. Sighing, Mrs. Oliver shook her head.

"Dear, we do have chairs," she said.

"Oh, right," said Rocky, getting up and moving to the couch. "Sorry."

Tommy and the others laughed. Mrs. Oliver looked over at Tommy, who was still leaning against the wall, and frowned.

"Tommy, sit down," she said.

"Yes, mom," he sighed, sitting down in the other recliner.

"Now," she said. "Would anyone like a snack?"

The rangers started shaking their heads.

"It's alright, Mrs. Oliver," Trini said. "We're going to be going home for dinner soon."

"Ok," she said. "I'll just get some drinks."

Trini started to say something again, but Tommy shook his head.

"Don't argue with her," he said. "It's easier to just let her have her way."

The phone started ringing in the other room.

"Oh!" Mrs. Oliver exclaimed. "I'd better answer that. I'll be back to see what you want in a few minutes."

Shaking her head, Mrs. Oliver hurried out of the room. The rangers all turned to glare at Tommy again. No one spoke this time.

"Mmm…" Tommy said after a moment, glancing over at Hayley. "This is awkward."

Hayley just shook her head.

"Do you realize how much trouble you're in?" Jason asked, glaring at him.

"For what?" Tommy asked, trying to look innocent.

Trini growled, her eyes narrowing.

"Why didn't you tell us you have cancer?" Rocky burst out.

Everyone froze, Tommy and Hayley staring at the four rangers in surprise.

"What?" they both exclaimed.

"What do you mean, 'what'?" Jason said. "You're the one who needs to explain."

"Ok, wait a minute," Tommy said, putting up a hand. "I—I really don't know how to respond to that. Why do you think I have cancer?"

The other four rangers exchanged glances.

"Well, your mom said something about hospital visits when we ran into her at the grocery store," Trini said. "Kind of like you were getting treatments."

"And Carter saw you hooked up to something in the med bay on the megaship," Jason added. "He said he'd seen similar things around Dana's work."

Tommy groaned, rubbing a hand across his face.

"Great," he muttered. "Guys, I don't have cancer."

"You'd better not," Hayley scoffed.

Tommy sighed.

"I don't," he said. "And if I did, you would know."

"Would I?" Hayley said.

"Like I can keep anything from you for long," Tommy said.

Hayley smirked, nodding in agreement.

"True," she said. "Just making sure."

The other four rangers were looking at them. They didn't know what else to say.

"Guys," Tommy said again. "I really don't have cancer."

"Then what's going on?" Adam asked.

Groaning, Tommy leaned back in the recliner, studying them. Hayley watched him, waiting for him to say something.

"Alright," Tommy said, leaning forward suddenly. "We don't have a lot of time. Here's the deal. I only want to explain what's going on once. So, I will go back to the house with you and explain it to everyone at once."

"Good," Jason said. "Let's go."

Tommy smirked, shaking his head.

"Wait a minute, bro," he said. "I'm not finished yet. I will only go with you on a few conditions."

"What conditions?" Adam asked.

"First, no one may kill or hurt me in any way," Tommy said. "And I mean anyone. Secondly, no interruptions. Like I said, I'm not explaining twice. You miss it, your problem. Finally, I reserve the right to refuse to answer questions as I see fit. Those are my terms, so take it or leave it."

The rangers were silent for a moment. Tommy just waited for an answer.

"And why would we agree to those?" Rocky asked. "We can just carry you out of here."

Hayley sighed, shaking her head.

"Give it up, Rocky," she said. "You can't drag him out of here with his mom watching. Plus, he can stay fortified in here for months. His mom will get him anything he needs and drive him, since he doesn't have his car. He doesn't even have to leave for school or work since just about everything is on the computer."

"Wow, Tommy," Rocky said. "Talk about overprotective mother."

Tommy shrugged.

"One of the benefits of being adopted," he said. "And I'm not afraid to call her when I need to."

Grumbling, Jason stood up and walked over to Tommy. He stuck his hand out.

"Deal," he said.

Tommy didn't take his hand right away.

"Just want to make sure you understand, Jase," he said. "You're speaking for the rangers. All of them, including the two pinks. If anyone, and I mean anyone, breaks any of my terms the deal is off. And don't think Hayley will tell you anything. She can't."

Jason looked over at Hayley, who shrugged in response.

"Deal," Jason said reluctantly.

Tommy and Jason shook hands as Mrs. Oliver came back into the room. Looking around, Tommy nodded and stood up.

"Hey mom," he said. "I think it's time we got going. Some of the others are waiting on us for dinner."

He leaned over and gave her a hug and a kiss. She hugged him back tightly, not letting go for a moment.

"I promise I'll stop by again before I leave town though," Tommy said, smiling as she continued to hug him.

"You'd better," Mrs. Oliver said, letting go. "Your father will be angry if you don't see him before you leave."

"I'll be back," Tommy said.

Nodding to the others, Tommy led the way out of the house. Outside, Hayley unlocked the car and climbed into the driver's seat. The others started climbing in the car and realized there weren't enough seats for all of them.

"Hmm…" Tommy said, starting to turn back toward the house. "Guess there's no room."

Jason grabbed the back of his shirt and propelled him toward the front seat.

"Get in," he growled.

Before Tommy could protest, Jason climbed into the backseat with Rocky and Adam. Reaching out of the car, he grabbed Trini around the waist and pulled her into his lap. Sighing, Tommy shook his head and climbed in.

"That would have worked if Zach were here instead of Trini," he muttered.

"Nope," Rocky said. "We would have sat on each other's laps if we had to."

Tommy turned his head to look in the backseat, raising an eyebrow at Rocky.

"You do realize how weird that sounds, right?" Tommy said.

Rocky shrugged. Hayley started the car, shaking her head at them.

"Let's get back," she said.

"Yep," Tommy sighed, leaning back against the seat. "Time to get this over with."


	11. The Truth

Pulling up across the street from Jason's house, Hayley parked the car a turned it off. Tommy turned around to look at Jason and the others in the back seat.

"Want a head start?" Tommy asked, smirking.

Jason just glared, opening the door and letting Trini out. He followed her while Rocky and Adam climbed out the other side. Tommy didn't get out right away. He leaned out the window, waiting for Jason's answer. Coming around the car, Rocky paused, frowning.

"Isn't that Kim's car?" he asked, pointing across the street.

"I think it is," Adam said. "And that on is Kat's."

Jason groaned. Laughing, Tommy climbed out of the car and took a seat on the hood. Hayley followed, shaking her head.

"Tell you what," Tommy said, leaning back and crossing his arms in front of him. "I'll give you a five minute head start. And remember, the rules apply to everyone."

Jason glared at him again, but turned and headed for the house. Trini, Rocky, and Adam followed him. They headed inside and shut the door behind them. Watching the front door, Tommy and Hayley waited. After a minute or two, the front door suddenly burst open and a slight woman with long brown hair came charging out. Jason was right on her heels.

"THOMAS JAMES OLIVER!" she screamed, running toward them.

Before she could reach the car, Jason grabbed her around the middle and pulled her back into the house, still kicking and trying to get away.

"Hmm…" Tommy said. "It's going better than I thought it would. Only Kim came running out. Although they might have just caught Kat before she got out the door."

Hayley rolled her eyes, shaking her head at him. After another few minutes, the door opened again. Adam poked his head outside and waved.

"It's safe to come inside now," he said. "We've got everyone contained. Oh. And we threatened the rookie to make sure he'd keep his comments to himself."

Tommy nodded, hopping off the hood of the car. He looked over at Hayley.

"Why don't you go first?" he suggested.

Hayley glared at him.

"Oh, thanks," she said.

Tommy shrugged.

"Don't worry," he said. "You can take them."

"Uh-huh," she said. "Sure, Mr. Fifth Degree Black Belt."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Tommy muttered as she shoved him toward the door.

Tommy stepped inside cautiously. When no one attacked him immediately, he moved down the hallway toward the living room. He paused at the door, looking inside. Hayley stopped behind him. Everyone was crowded into the living room. The red rangers were still grouped together, standing behind the couch. Jason and Trini were standing to one side of the couch while Tanya, Adam, and Aisha were off to the other side. Billy and Zach were sitting down on the couch with Kim pinned between them. She was glaring at Tommy, Zach's arm around her shoulders. Rocky was sitting next to Kat, one hand on her shoulder to make sure she wasn't going anywhere.

"Calm down, Kimmie," Zach muttered.

She just growled at him, keeping her gaze focused on Tommy.

"Mmm…" Tommy said, looking around. "This is going to be—fun."

"Spill," Jason demanded, crossing his arms in front of him.

Tommy sighed.

"You don't waste any time, do you?" he asked.

"Tommy," Trini growled.

"Ok, ok," he said. "Give me a minute. I'm not really sure where to start. I wasn't planning on explaining this tonight. Or ever."

"You had at least ten minutes outside to think about it!" Zach exclaimed.

Tommy shrugged, running a hand through his hair.

"Yeah, well," he said. "I was a little distracted laughing at the thought of you guys trying to pin down Kim."

Kim's eyes narrowed and she tried to jump up. Zach jerked her back down between him and Billy. Grabbing her arm, Billy helped to keep her down.

"Tommy," Jason snapped. "Explain. Now."

Tommy put his hands up.

"Alright!" he said. "I—Just give me a minute."

There was silence for a moment. Tommy sighed, shaking his head.

"Ok," he finally said. "First off, for the benefit of the rest of you making assumptions, I don't have cancer."

There was collective sigh of relief around the room. Carter's story had spread while they were gone.

"That's good to hear," Carter said. "But then what were you hooked up to on the megaship?"

Taking a deep breath, Tommy looked around the room. Everyone was staring at him expectantly.

"It was a dialysis machine," said Tommy.

"Oh," Carter said, nodding. "That actually makes sense."

Some of the rangers nodded, at least partially understanding what that meant. Others stared at Tommy in confusion.

"A what machine?" Rocky said.

"Dialysis," Tommy said. "I don't have cancer. My kidneys are failing."

The room was silent for a moment. Suddenly Tanya burst into tears and flung herself at Tommy. He flinched, thinking she was going to hit him, but she just threw her arms around him and clung. Tommy relaxed, letting her hug him for a moment. Everyone else was just staring.

"Alright, Tanya," he said, trying to pull away. "I'm fine. You can let go now."

But she wouldn't budge. Tommy frowned, glancing over at Adam.

"Umm… Adam," he said. "A little help?"

Tanya started squeezing harder.

"Can't—breath!" Tommy gasped.

Adam hurried over and tried to make Tanya let go, but she stubbornly clung to Tommy. Rocky left Kat on the couch and hurried to help Adam. He was frowning, lost in thought. They finally convinced Tanya to let go and she turned to cling to Adam instead. Rocky froze, staring at Tommy.

"Oh man," he said. "Tommy, I am so sorry. I am so, so sorry."

Tommy looked at Rocky in confusion.

"Why are you apologizing?" Aisha asked.

"I tackled him!" Rocky exclaimed, a look of horror on his face. "I full on tackled him!"

The rangers all turned to glare at Rocky.

"Don't worry about it," Tommy said. "I'm fine. If you had done any serious damage I'd be dead."

Rocky's face turned white and everyone turned to look at Tommy in shock. He groaned, shaking his head.

"Guys, I'm kidding," he said. "You're taking this way too seriously. Relax. I'm fine."

"Wait a minute," Jason said, frowning. "If you're sick, why were you fighting?"

Tommy sighed, shrugging.

"It really wasn't planned," he said. "I got the call and it couldn't wait."

"You didn't have to join in the actual fighting," Hayley pointed out.

Tommy glared at her. She just smirked.

"And how did you manage to run all the way to your parents' house?" Adam asked, still holding Tanya. "I know the morphers give you a boost, but still."

"Running is one of the few things I'm still allowed to do," Tommy said. "What? Did you really think I'd just sit on a couch all day?"

Hayley rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, not even close," she said. "And not only should he not be fighting, but he's supposed to be getting more sleep. But no, he doesn't sleep. Ever."

Tommy reached over and smacked Hayley on the shoulder.

"No more comments from the peanut gallery," he said. "Anyways, you should all know I hate sitting still."

The other original rangers sighed, nodding in acknowledgement.

"No kidding," TJ said, shaking his head. "I mean, we spent at least twenty minutes chasing you around the ship in circles last night while we were trying to get you into the med bay for dialysis."

The room went silent as all of the rangers turned to look at Andros and TJ.

"You knew?" Kat hissed, leaping off the couch. "You knew and you said nothing?"

Kim tried to jump up after her, but Billy and Zach kept her pinned down. Rocky tried to grab Kat, but missed as she advanced toward the two space rangers. Andros and TJ backed away, trying to figure out what to do.

"That's right!" Trini exclaimed, joining Kat. "You've known this whole time!"

TJ and Andros exchanged panicked looks as the girls drew closer.

"D.E.C.A.!" Andros yelled into his communicator. "D.E.C.A. code blue. Code blue!"

TJ and Andros disappeared in a flash of light, leaving Kat and Trini reaching for empty space. They whipped around to face Tommy.

"Wow," he said. "You really scared them. Code blue is for life and death emergencies and is D.E.C.A.'s signal for immediate transport. They don't use that very often."

Leo groaned.

"They were my ride," he grumbled.

"Don't worry, Leo," Tommy said. "They won't forget about you for long. They just won't come back here anytime soon."

"Anyways," Jason said. "Let's get back on topic."

"Right," Trini said, nodding. "How long has this been going on?"

Tommy paused, thinking.

"Well," he said. "Since your wedding."

The rangers stared at him in surprise.

"That long?" Aisha said. "Why would you keep it a secret that long?"

"Actually," Tommy said. "It technically started about three months before then. I just didn't know until the day before the wedding. When I collapsed. In front of Andros."

"You what?" Kim exclaimed, trying to leap up again.

Zach and Billy held her on the couch. Tommy shrugged.

"I didn't know what was happening," he said. "There was a build-up of potassium and issues with high blood pressure and a few other things. And then I just—collapsed. It was here on earth and Andros couldn't do anything except call 9-1-1. That's how I ended up in the hospital."

Jason shook his head, glaring at Tommy.

"You should have called us, bro," he said. "That night. You should have called."

"I'm sorry, Jase," he said. "But I wasn't going to ruin your wedding."

The room was silent again for a moment.

"But wait a minute," Adam said. "Three months before the wedding was when Zordon, well—it was just before the memorial."

Tommy nodded. The rangers looked at him in confusion.

"What does the memorial have to do with you getting sick?" Zach asked.

Tommy sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"Well," he said, frowning. "Hmm… I—It's kind of complicated…"

Billy sighed, scooting away from Kim and standing up.

"I'll explain, Tommy," he said.

The rangers turned to look at Billy.

"What do you know about it?" Kim asked.

"Well," Billy said. "After the hospital visit, when the doctors couldn't figure out what was causing his kidneys to fail, Tommy called me. I helped him discover the cause."

"You knew?" Kim yelled.

She almost pulled away from Zach, but he jumped forward and tackled her onto the couch. The rest of the girls had tried to launch themselves at Billy, too. But Adam kept Tanya tightly in his grip, Rocky grabbed Aisha, and Jason stopped Trini. Seeing Kat heading for Billy, Carter leapt over the couch and grabbed her, not letting go. Billy took a deep breath, looking around.

"Yes," he said. "And I'm sorry, but I couldn't tell you."

"Why not?" Kat growled.

Billy shrugged, looking over at Tommy. Hayley shook her head.

"The same reason none of us could," she said. "Tommy wouldn't let us."

Jason frowned.

"He blackmailed you?" he asked.

Hayley nodded. The rangers looked at Tommy in surprise. He shrugged, putting his hands up.

"You blackmailed Billy?" Zach exclaimed. "What did you get on him?"

Billy's eyes went wide and he looked at Tommy. But Tommy just shook his head.

"Not telling," he said. "Billy kept my secret and I'll keep his."

"What did you have on them that was so bad they'd keep something like this from the rest of us?" Jason asked. "And how did you get it?"

Hayley sighed.

"He's a lot sneakier than you guys give him credit for," she said.

"So he's got something on you too?" Rocky asked.

"Several things," Hayley said. "And not only is he good at finding things out, he's really good at exploiting any and all loopholes to keep us from getting around the contracts."

Tommy shrugged, smirking.

"Comes from having a dad who's a judge," he said.

"Mmm hmm," Hayley said. "I still don't get how you use it so effectively. I have just as much on you."

"True," Tommy agreed, nodding. "But here's the difference. You share things about me regardless, so I just get used to it. Makes it hard to use as blackmail."

Hayley smirked at him.

"Oh, is that so?" she asked. "How about the time you—"

Tommy clapped a hand over her mouth.

"Ok," he said. "So you have some. Why don't you save that for use later?"

"No, I want to hear it," Zach said, looking at Hayley. "You and I will have to talk later."

She nodded, laughing behind Tommy's hand. Tommy glared at her and Zach.

"Not gonna happen," he said. "Now be quiet and let Billy talk."

Tommy nodded at Billy, who took a deep breath as he looked around the room. Everyone was quiet, waiting for an explanation.

"Well," Billy said. "It started when the candle took Tommy's powers the first time. The candle was draining him and, even though we didn't realize it at the time, it was slowly killing him. It damaged his kidneys, but he didn't have time to feel the effects before he was called back. Zordon used his own energy to return Tommy's powers. It stabilized him. Ranger healing abilities on overdrive. Basically, the energy allowed his body to continue functioning as it was supposed to, despite the damage already done. When Zordon—died, his energy was released in one burst before it disappated. The energy still inside Tommy went with it. And without the energy, his body was no longer able to keep normal functions and his kidneys began shutting down again."

The room was completely silent for a moment. Jason stared at Tommy in horror, shaking his head. Leaning back against the wall, Jason sunk down to the ground, still staring. Tanya broke away from Adam and rushed toward Tommy again. He put out an arm to stop her, keeping Tanya at arm's length. Tommy groaned and turned to look at Hayley.

"See?" he said. "This is why I didn't want to tell any of them. They all freaked out. Jason is having a meltdown. And Tanya is crying—scratch that. All of the girls are crying."

Kim, Kat, Aisha, and Trini had all started crying as well.

"Great," Tommy muttered as Adam pulled Tanya into his arms again. "Well, at least the guys aren—Really, Rocky?"

Tommy had glanced over to see Rocky wiping at his eyes.

"I'm not crying, dude," Rocky protested. "I have something in my eye."

Tommy threw his hands up in the air and headed for the door.

"That's it," he exclaimed. "I'm leaving."

Before he could get out of the living room, Hayley leapt on to his back, her arms around his neck. Tommy stumbled backward, trying to stay upright.

"Hayley," he gasped. "Can't—air."

"You're not leaving," she said, clinging. "The cats out of the bag anyways and you still need a vacation."

Tommy pulled at her arms, trying to loosen her grip. She let go just slightly, enough for him to answer.

"Fine," Tommy said. "I'll stay."

Hayley let go, stepping back. Tommy stumbled again, catching himself on a chair. Shaking his head, Tommy turned to look at Trini.

"Trini, don't you need help with dinner?" he asked.

"Oh, right," she sniffled. "I think I'm just going to order pizza."

Still crying, she rushed out of the room. Groaning in frustration, Tommy walked over to where Jason was still sitting on the floor and yanked him to his feet.

"Jason, how many times do I have to tell you?" he snapped. "I don't blame you for anything. You didn't make the green candle. You didn't even give me my powers. None of it is your fault. So get over it and go consol your wife. I can only handle so many crying women at one time. If you still have issues, we'll deal with them later."

He shoved Jason toward the kitchen. Jason stumbled out of the room after Trini. Tommy started to turn around and Kim came running over, throwing her arms around him. She buried her face in his chest, crying. Sighing, he patted her on the back.

"It's alright, Kim," he said.

Zach walked up behind Tommy and threw his arms around Tommy's shoulder, squeezing Tommy between himself and Kim.

"Dude," he said.

Hayley burst out laughing, doubling over and using Billy's arm to keep herself upright. Billy smiled, shaking his head in amusement. Tommy just groaned.

"This is going to be a long night," he muttered.

"Umm… Carter?" Kat said, looking up at him.

They were still standing by the couch and he was holding on to her while he watched Tommy and the others. When Kat spoke, he jerked, letting go and stepping back.

"Sorry, ma'am," he said quickly.

Kat glared at him.

"I am not any older than you are!" she exclaimed.

"Sorry…" Carter muttered, looking down at the floor. "Habit."

Hayley started laughing harder.


	12. Bedtime

_Okay for those of you who have been reading this you may notice that most of this is very familiar. There is a good reason for that... it has already been posted once, only we apparently had a computer malfunction and a chunk vanished, (I blame hazergirl1220 or Timmy the resident little dwarf in our apartment he likes hiding all our stuff it wouldn't surprise me if he moved on to technology). So, here is the chapter again only with a rewritten beginning! (This might also explain why suddenly Leo is no longer in the story, Oops.) :) Enjoy!_

* * *

"That was really good pizza," Wes said.

After Jason had managed to calm Trini down, she had ordered pizza for everyone. Now that everyone was done eating, the group gathered back into the living room. Tommy grabbed a seat in one of the reclining chairs while the rest of the group made themselves comfortable on the rest of the furniture or on the floor. Leo didn't sit right away, looking around the room.

"So, I don't mean to rush out or anything," he said. "But I really don't want Andros and the others going too far without me…"

Shifting in the recliner, Tommy reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. He tossed it to Leo, who caught it.

"TJ's number is on there," he said. "Call and tell them they forgot you."

"Thanks," Leo said.

It was silent for a moment as he waited for TJ to answer.

"Hey, TJ," Leo said. "No, it's Leo…Yeah. You guys kind of left me stranded here…Yes, that would be nic—"

Leo suddenly disappeared in a flash of light. Tommy sighed, shaking his head.

"And there goes my phone," he muttered.

"Guess you're getting a new one," Zach laughed.

"Nah," Tommy said, leaning back in the chair. "They'll bring it back. Or at least TJ will."

Jason frowned, glancing over at him.

"Why would TJ have to come back?" he asked.

Tommy didn't answer. Instead, he reached into his other pocket and pulled out a set of car keys, holding them up. The rangers stared at them for a moment and then, once they realized what they were, everyone burst out laughing.

"Oh, he'll be back alright," Zach grinned.

"Yep," Tommy said, sticking the keys back in his pocket. "Anyways, thanks for dinner, Trini. It was great."

"We were supposed to have spaghetti," Trini sighed. "But considering everything that happened—I'll save it for another night."

Rocky suddenly sat up straight from where he was lounging on the floor.

"Honey," he said, putting a hand on Aisha's arm. "I learned what basil is today."

"That's nice, dear," Aisha said, looking over at Trini in confusion.

Trini just shrugged, shaking her head. She glanced over at Tommy, who was leaning back in the recliner.

"Tommy, are you sure you got enough to eat?" Trini asked. "You said it was great, but you didn't have any pizza."

"I'm good, Trini," he said, closing his eyes. "I had a protein shake."

Trini frowned in concern.

"Don't worry about it, Trini," Hayley said. "He doesn't eat much of anything these days. His dietary restrictions make it difficult."

"Hmm…" Trini said. "We'll have to talk about that at some point. I want to make sure he's able to eat while he's here."

Hayley smiled.

"That's ok," she said. "He always has something in his bag, just in case. No need to plan everything around his diet. We'd all be drinking protein shakes."

"So what are the restrictions?" Carter asked.

Tommy sighed. Hayley just shook her head, answering for him.

"Well," she said. "He's fine with protein. Lots of protein. But he has to limit his potassium intake by a lot. He can have some carbs and has to watch how much water he's drinking, since he can't drink too much. Oh. And no alcohol. Period."

"Aww, man," Zach said. "No alcohol? That stinks."

"I'm actually ok with it," Tommy said. "I don't trust her."

He pointed at Hayley, who rolled her eyes.

"That was one time," she said. "And it was before all of this started. It's not my fault you decided to let someone cut your hair."

"What?" Rocky exclaimed. "I gotta hear this one."

Tommy threw a pillow at Hayley, his eyes still closed. It hit her in the head and she turned to glare at him.

"Not a word," Tommy said.

"Mmm hmmm," she said. "It was your own fault."

"Anyways," Tommy said. "I don't miss the alcohol. And I make do with the rest."

"Why can't you have water?" Wes asked.

Tommy shifted in the chair, making himself more comfortable.

"Can't filter it properly," he said. "And I can have some. Just not a lot. I have to be careful."

"So, is all this the reason we never really saw you eating on the ship?" Leo asked. "Cause you really didn't eat the whole way back."

"Yeah…" Tommy said.

"Wait a minute!" Rocky said, interrupting. "I meant to ask earlier. Why wasn't I invited on the mission?"

Tommy groaned.

"I called you," he said. "You didn't answer. Or call me back. And we couldn't wait for you forever."

Rocky frowned. Aisha sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Honey, did you ever replace your phone?" she asked. "You know, after you dropped it in the toilet?"

Everyone burst out laughing and Rocky's face turned red.

"This morning," he protested, and then realized what that mean. "Oh…"

"How did you manage that, man?" Zach asked, trying not to choke while he spoke.

"I was cleaning it," Rocky mumbled.

"The toilet or your phone?" asked Jason.

"The toilet!" Rocky snapped, glaring at Jason.

"You mean you were actually doing chores?" Zach laughed.

Rocky turned his glare on Zach.

"Yes!" he said. "I was cleaning the toilet and the phone rang. So I pulled it out to answer and dropped it."

There was a pause as something dawned on Rocky.

"Actually," he said slowly, sighing. "That was probably you calling me…"

The group started laughing even harder.

"So you literally threw the mission down the toilet," Zach snorted, nearly falling off the couch.

"Good to know," Tommy said. "I see what a phone call from me gets. Good to know how you feel about me, Rocky."

"Tommy…" Rocky said.

Tommy just laughed, shaking his head. Cole looked around, frowning.

"Wait a minute," he said. "Why would you get an invite anyways? The mission was just for reds."

Rocky turned and glared at Cole.

"I am a red!" he exclaimed. "I was red first—well, second in the line-up. But it was my first color!"

Cole looked at him in confusion.

"Wait, what?" he said.

"He took over after Jason," Tommy said, still leaning back with his eyes closed. "He was red under me while I was white, and then became the blue ranger when we got the Zeo powers."

"But I thought reds were always the leaders," Wes said, frowning.

Jason shook his head.

"Tommy is special," he said with a smirk.

"Hey!" Tommy exclaimed, sitting up and glaring at Jason.

"What?" Jason said. "I mean that in the best way."

"Uh-huh," Tommy said, leaning back again. "Sure you do, Jase."

Jason grinned.

"You were a white ranger?" Cole asked, looking at Tommy in surprise.

"Yes…" Tommy said, raising an eyebrow.

Jason snorted, shaking his head.

"He was white twice," he said. "You've got to pay more attention rookie."

"So you were two colors?" Cole exclaimed.

The rest of the rangers started laughing.

"What?" Cole said, even more confused.

"Tommy's been three colors," Zach snorted.

Cole looked around in surprise and confusion.

"And how many powers?" Adam asked.

Tommy sighed, frowning.

"Well, let's see," he said, pausing to think. "One, two—no—two, three, four…five. Five. Right?"

He looked over at Hayley for confirmation. Hayley rolled her eyes and nodded.

"Yes," Tommy said. "Five."

"There's a reason TJ called him a legend," Wes said. "You really gotta brush up on your ranger history."

"He's one of the original six," Carter added.

Cole started shaking his head, still not putting two and two together.

"But there wasn't a white ranger on the original team," he protested. "And Jason was red."

Tommy groaned, closing his eyes again.

"White wasn't Tommy's original color," Billy said.

"I'm confused," Cole muttered, shaking his head.

The other rangers exchanged looks and shrugged. Trini sighed.

"Alright, time for a history lesson," Trini said. "So let's start from the beginning. The original six, or the first Mighty Morphin' team, were Jason, Tommy, Zach, Billy, Kim, and myself. Tommy was green. Ok?"

Cole nodded.

"Second Mighty Morphin' team," Trini continued. "Tommy, Rocky, Adam, Aisha, Billy, and Kim. Tommy was white. Still on the same page?"

He nodded again. Some of the other rangers snickered, shaking their heads at him.

"Then was the ninjetti team," said Trini. "Same people, different powers. Except that's where Kat comes in. She took over for Kim at that point. After that they gained their Zeo power and Billy became their tech. And this is where it gets confusing, because everyone starts switching colors. Tommy becomes red, Adam is green, Rocky is blue, Kat is pink, and Tanya takes Aisha's place as yellow. Got it?"

Cole just stared.

"Wait a minute!" Jason said. "I was there too."

"Yes," Trini said. "Jason came back for a little while as the gold ranger."

"Thanks, honey," Jason grumbled.

"Yeah," Rocky said. "And he didn't tell us it was killing him."

Jason glared at him.

"Yeah, yeah," Jason said. "But you guys needed my help."

"We still need help," Tommy muttered.

"Look who's talking, bro," Jason shot back.

Tommy shrugged, his eyes closed again.

"I'm not denying anything," he said.

Billy frowned, looking at Jason and then at Tommy.

"You know, Jason," Billy said. "Perhaps we should run a scan to make sure your body is functioning correctly. Especially now that we know what happened to Tommy."

"No, Billy," Jason said, shaking his head. "I'm fi—"

"I think that's a great idea!" Trini interrupted.

"Trini," Jason groaned. "I don't need a scan. It's been years since then and I've had no problems. I'm fine."

Tommy snorted. Jason glared at him.

"You be quiet," Jason said. "Trini wouldn't even know if you hadn't opened your big fat mouth."

Tommy looked at Jason, raising an eyebrow.

"Well forgive me," he said. "It was at your engagement party. I would have thought you'd have told her by then. Apparently I was wrong."

"You have no idea," Jason muttered. "She didn't talk to me for the next week! And if we hadn't been engaged already I don't know if she would ever have spoken to me again."

Trini smirked.

"Guess it's a good thing you picked a beautiful ring," she said.

"See, Jase," Tommy said. "I told you the other one was too gaudy."

Trini whipped around to glare at Jason again.

"Tommy picked out my ring?" she exclaimed.

"What?" Jason said. "No!"

Tommy started laughing.

"Don't worry, Trini," he said. "Jason picked out the ring. It's just fun seeing the look on his face."

Jason glared at Tommy. Trini frowned, looking over at Tommy.

"It's true," Tommy said. "I was just the driver."

"Hey!" Rocky said. "Why wasn't I invited?"

Tommy shook his head.

"Rocky," he said. "I'm pretty sure you would have been bored out of your mind. We went to at least six different stores."

"Oh," Rocky said. "Thanks for not calling."

"Not a problem," Tommy said. "I think I went through two tanks of gas driving around in circles. Jason couldn't make up his mind about which one was good enough."

"I paid you back," Jason muttered.

Tommy just shook his head, closing his eyes again. Trini smiled at Jason.

"Really?" she asked. "You spent that much time on it?"

Jason shrugged, his face turning red.

"Yeah," he said. "I wanted it to be the right one."

Still smiling, Trini leaned over and gave him a kiss.

"Hey!" Cole interrupted. "What about the colors?"

Trini turned to look at Cole.

"Oh right!" she exclaimed. "Sorry, we get distracted sometimes."

Taking a breath, she got settled back in her seat to finish the history lesson.

"Finally, the Zeo team shifted up into turbo," she said. "Except for Rocky, who did something stupid and hurt himself."

Rocky frowned.

"Hey!" he exclaimed. "It wasn't my fault."

"Uh-huh," Trini said, raising an eyebrow. "Sure, Rocky."

"It wasn't!" Rocky protested.

"Anyways," Trini said. "Justin replaced Rocky. After a while, Tommy, Adam, Kat, and Tanya chose replacements, who later became the space ranger team. And thus ends Tommy's long history as a ranger. Quite a few of us have actually changed colors at least once. Except the girls."

"That's because we're perfect the way we are," Kim said. "We didn't need to change."

"Hey!" the guys exclaimed.

The girls laughed.

"I should probably be offended by that," Tommy grumbled. "But I'm too tired right now. Hayley, be offended for me."

Hayley shook her head, rolling her eyes.

"Sure, Tommy," she said. "Now go to sleep."

"I'm trying," he mumbled.

Trini looked over at Cole, who was still frowning.

"Do you understand now?" she asked.

He shook his head. Trini sighed.

"I am not explaining it all again," she said.

"You're on your own, rookie," Jason said.

"Perhaps a diagram would help?" Billy suggested. "Trini, do you have pen and paper?"

"Sure!" Trini said, hopping up.

She hurried out of the room, coming back with a notepad and a pen. Trini handed them to Billy. As she was sitting back down, Cole suddenly leapt up from his seat and took a defensive stance facing Tommy.

"He's an evil ranger!" Cole yelled.

The other rangers and Hayley stared at Cole in confusion.

"What?" Adam said.

"The first green ranger was evil!" Cole said. "Tommy was the first green ranger."

There was a collective sigh around the room.

"He's not evil," Zach said. "Well, he was. But he isn't anymore. We broke him out of it when Jason destroyed the sword. And that was the last time—wait. Jason told me about the time with the machine… That was during—umm… When was the last time you were evil?"

Zach looked at Tommy expectantly.

"During Zeo," he mumbled.

"Right," Zach said. "So he's good now."

"But how can you be sure?" Cole asked.

He was still holding his defensive stance, looking at Tommy suspiciously. Tommy groaned.

"Yes, Cole," he said. "I'm evil. Fear me."

Tommy let out an evil laugh, the same one he had used when under Rita's spell. The other five original rangers jerked, their eyes widening. Cole's face went white and he tensed up. Tommy started laughing harder, normally this time.

"Not cool, man!" Zach said. "How many times do we have to tell you not to do that? It's creepy."

"Sorry," Tommy laughed. "It's just too hard to resist. I'm gonna have to do that more."

Sighing, Hayley rolled her eyes.

"Tommy, go to sleep," she said.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," he muttered. "Working on it."

Cole looked around the room, frowning.

"But—" he started to protest.

Eric grabbed the back of Cole's shirt.

"Sit down and shut up," he said, pulling Cole down.

Billy handed the complete diagram to Cole.

"Is this helpful?" Billy asked.

Cole frowned, studying the paper.

"I think so," he said. "But what is this line?"

"Oh," Billy said. "That was Tommy's fault. His—laugh—startled me."

Tommy let out another evil laugh and the originals jumped again. They all turned to glare at him. Grabbing a pillow, Trini whipped it at his head. Tommy caught it, laughing even harder.

"Yeah," he laughed. "Definitely need to do that more often."

"That really is creepy," Rocky said, frowning.

"You have no idea," Jason said. "You weren't there when he was actually evil and laughing like that. It was bad."

Hayley sighed.

"That's it," she said. "He's obviously not getting any sleep down here. Tommy—bed. Trini, where is he sleeping?"

Tommy groaned.

"Oh," Trini said. "He can sleep in the upstairs guest room. It's all set."

Hayley nodded.

"You heard her," Hayley said, looking at Tommy.

He sighed and sat up.

"Hayley, I'm fine," he said.

"I don't know, man," Rocky grinned. "Does he snore?"

"How would I know?" Hayley asked. "He has his own room and if he does snore it isn't loud enough to wake me up."

"Nothing is loud enough to wake you up," Tommy said. "But for your information, Rocky, I don't snore."

Some of the rangers looked over at Tommy and Hayley in surprise.

"Wait a minute," Rocky exclaimed. "You live with a girl?"

Tommy groaned, falling back in the chair again.

"Didn't we do this once already?" he muttered.

"Yeah," Zach said. "But none of them were in the room."

"Wow, Tommy," Kim said. "I never would have expected that."

He sighed, shaking his head.

"Yes," Tommy said. "We're roommates. Who did you think she was when she got here?"

The rangers exchanged glances.

"Well," Rocky said. "I thought maybe she was your cousin or something."

Hayley frowned, looking at Rocky.

"Why would he bring a cousin to a ranger gathering?" she asked.

Rocky shrugged.

"I don't know," he said. "Close relationship?"

"Wow," Tommy said. "You went in a completely different direction than I thought you would with that."

"But why would you bring your roommate?" Adam asked.

"Because she would kill me if I didn't," Tommy said simply. "She's known for years, so it's not like I was blowing any big secret."

"Wait a minute," Tanya said. "How did—"

Hayley held up a hand, stopping Tanya.

"I explain that again in a moment," Hayley said. "Tommy. Bed."

"Hayley," Tommy groaned, sitting back up again. "I'm fine."

She just picked up his bag and dropped it on his lap.

"Nope," Hayley said. "Here's your bag. Bedtime. Go."

"You're not my mother," Tommy said.

Hayley smirked, pulling out her phone and started to dial. Tommy frowned.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Calling your mother," Hayley said, pausing before she hit send.

Tommy groaned, but stood up.

"Fine," he muttered.

"Nice trick!" Rocky exclaimed, pulling out his own phone. "Can I have that number?"

"Shouldn't you already have that number?" Adam asked.

"I dropped my phone in the toilet, remember?" Rocky snapped.

Shaking his head as he walked by, Tommy snatched the phone out of Rocky's hand.

"Thanks," he said. "I needed an alarm clock. Leo took mine."

He continued out of the room and up the stairs while Rocky just stared after him.

"I just got that this morning," Rocky muttered, looking down at his empty hand.

"Guess you won't be too attached to it then," Zach laughed.

Rocky glared at him.

"Why is Tommy going to bed so early anyways?" Kim asked. "It's only 9pm."

"Because he needs the sleep," Hayley answered. "Especially after dialysis last night. He'll be better tomorrow."

Cole, who was still staring at the diagram, looked up at Billy.

"Billy," he said. "I think you made a mistake."

Billy frowned, leaning over to look.

"Where?" he asked.

"Here," Cole said, pointing. "You have Tommy as the green ranger twice."

"That's correct," Billy said.

"But he said he only had five powers," said Cole.

Jason sighed, shaking his head.

"He had the green ranger power twice," Jason said. "He had it the first time and lost it after the green—anyways, he lost it. Then Zordon gave it back to him for a while before he lost it for good. After that Zordon brought him back as the white ranger. Without telling anyone. Don't ask, still a bit of a sore spot."

"But seeing Kim pass out was still hilarious," Zach laughed.

"Hey!" Kim exclaimed, hitting Zach in the head with a pillow.

He just laughed harder.

"So worth it," he said.

Cole frowned.

"You guys keep talking about what a legend Tommy is," Cole said. "But if he's such a legendary ranger, why can't he fight?"

The other rangers and Hayley stared at Cole for a moment and then burst out laughing.

"You're kidding, right?" Zach said. "Tommy is a third de—"

"Fifth degree," Hayley interrupted, holding up a hand.

"Oh, ok," Zach said. "He's a fifth degree black belt in karate. Tommy could wipe the floor with any of us if he wanted to."

Cole frowned again.

"Then why did he do so badly in the sparring match this morning?" he scoffed. "Jason took him down without breaking a sweat."

Hayley turned to glare at Jason.

"What?" she exclaimed. "Why was he sparring this morning? He just had dialysis last night!"

Jason ducked his head.

"That's my bad," he said. "I kind of pushed him into it."

Hayley's eyes narrowed.

"Hey!" Jason said, putting his hands up. "In my defense, I had no idea about anything this morning."

"Lucky for you," Hayley said. "Or you'd be dead."

Looking around the room, Trini took a deep breath.

"Alright," she said. "I think it's time to start winding down. It's been a long day for all of us. So why don't we figure out where everyone is sleeping?"

The others nodded in agreement, turning to look at Trini. She frowned, looking around the room, muttering a count under her breath.

"Umm… Well," she said. "I guess the girls can take the other guest room. There's a king size bed in there and I have a blow up mattress. It'll be a little tight with five of you, but—"

"That's alright, Trini," Hayley said, holding up a hand and standing up. "I'll just head back over to the Olivers' house."

"Are you sure?" Trini asked. "I don't want you to feel like I'm kicking you out."

Hayley smiled, shaking her head.

"It's fine," she said. "Mrs. Oliver loves me. She'll be glad to have me for the night. I'll let her know Tommy fell asleep over here and I'll be back first thing in the morning."

"We'll see you in the morning then," Trini said, smiling.

Hayley nodded and head out of the room toward the front door. They heard the door open and close.

"Anyways," Trini said. "Kat, Kim, Aisha, and Tanya. Will you four be alright in the other guest room?"

"We'll be fine," Kim said. "None of us take up much space."

Trini turned to look at Jason.

"Honey, will you go grab the blow-up mattress and get it ready for them?" she asked.

Jason nodded and headed out of the room as the four girls grabbed their things and headed for the stairs.

"I'll grab pillows and blankets, too," he said. "The guys are gonna want them."

Trini nodded as he left the living room. She turned back to the rest of the group.

"Alright," she said. "There is a couch in the basement and a couple of recliners. The couch folds out into a bed."

"We'll take the basement," Zach said.

Rocky, Adam, and Billy nodded in agreement. They all grabbed their bags and headed toward the basement stairs.

"Adam and I can take the couch," Rocky said.

"Fine with me," Adam said.

Rocky grinned, looking over at Adam.

"And if it gets too cold we can spoon," Rocky said. "Right, Adam?"

Adam glared at Rocky.

"You leave your side of the bed and you're gonna find yourself on the floor," Adam growled.

"Aww… Come on, man," Rocky said. "We've done it before when we were camping."

Adam stopped and whirled around to face him.

"That was one time!" he snapped. "And it wouldn't have happened if you hadn't left your sleeping bag out in the rain. You're lucky I let you. So NEVER bring it up again."

Zach started laughing hysterically, nearly falling over as he opened the door to the basement. Billy started laughing, too.

"Shut up, Zach," Adam growled. "Get down the stairs before I push you down."

"I'm going," Zach sputtered, still laughing. "I'm going."

He finally got the door open and headed down the stairs. Rocky, Adam, and Billy followed behind. Trini sighed, shaking her head.

"I swear," she muttered. "They're never going to grow up. Anyways, that means you four get the living room. Unfortunately, this couch doesn't turn into a bed, so one of you will have to use the floor. I'll make sure Jason brings some extra bedding though."

"Thanks, Trini," Carter said.

She smiled and hurried out of the room to help Jason. The four red rangers looked at each other for a moment.

"I'll take the couch!" Cole said.

He sat down, but Eric reached over and pushed him off onto the floor. Eric plopped down on the couch and stretched out. Cole looked around in surprise.

"I've got a recliner," Wes said, sitting down in the chair Tommy had vacated.

Grumbling, Cole hopped up from the floor.

"I'll take the other one," he said, turning around.

He stopped. Carter was already in the other recliner.

"Wait a minute," Cole protested. "Why am I the one on the floor?"

"Because you're the newbie," Eric said, his eyes closed.

"Besides," Wes said. "You lived in the jungle for a while, didn't you? The floor and a pile of blankets should be just fine."

Cole glared at him. Trini walked back in the room followed by Jason. They were both carrying a pile of blankets and pillows.

"Well, Tommy's already out cold," Jason said. "Don't need to worry about sharing with him."

Trini set down her pile on the floor next to the couch while Jason headed toward the basement.

"Here you go," she said. "There should be enough there for everyone. Plus some extra for whoever is sleeping on the floor."

"Thank you," Carter said.

Nodding, Trini headed toward the basement after Jason. Eric grabbed the pile of bedding and started passing it out. He handed Carter a pillow and blanket and then turned to toss Wes his. The pillow hit Wes in the face, but Eric had already turned to give the rest to Cole, leaving a blanket and pillow for himself.

"Hey!" Wes exclaimed.

Wes whacked Eric in the back of the head with his pillow. Eric turned around, glaring at Wes. Cole started laughing.

"Oh, you think that's funny?" Wes asked.

He chucked his pillow, smacking Cole right in the face. Cole staggered backward in surprise, falling down. Leaping right back up, Cole grabbed another pillow and swung it at Wes, who was standing by the couch. But Wes ducked out of the way and Cole hit Eric. The other ranger growled and grabbed his own pillow. Soon, the three of them were involved in an all out pillow fight. Carter stayed in the recliner, occasionally ducking when a pillow flew his way. The basement door opened and Jason came walking upstairs. Seeing the pillow fight, he paused.

"I'm not even going to go there," he muttered, shaking his head.

Turning away, Jason headed upstairs. A moment later, the door opened again and Trini walked upstairs. She paused at the top of the stairs, still looking down in the basement.

"Rocky! Adam!" she yelled. "Knock it off! And Zach, stop laughing! You're only encouraging them. If you guys don't shut up and go to sleep you're going to be spending the night in the backyard. No tent. No blankets. No anything. And the sprinklers turn on at three."

There was silence from the basement. Trini nodded in satisfaction and turned around. The four rangers in the living room were staring at her. Carter was still in the recliner, but the other three were frozen in the middle of their pillow fight. Trini groaned.

"Are all of the men in this house five?" she exclaimed, marching toward them. "It is time for bed!"

"I'm sorry," Carter said. "But I would like to point out that I had nothing to do with this."

"I know, Carter," Trini sighed. "You're fine. But you three, on the other hand."

Trini turned to glare at the other three rangers. Wes dropped his pillow, staring at Trini wide-eyed.

"Wes started it," Eric muttered, grabbing his pillow and blanket.

He dropped back down on the couch, wrapped himself in the blanket and closed his eyes.

"Hey!" Wes exclaimed.

"Lay down, Wesley," Trini ordered. "Don't make me act like your mother."

"Geez," Wes grumbled, grabbing his bedding and curling up in the chair. "No need to be so snippy."

Trini just glared. Wes stopped muttering and pulled his blanket up over his head. Turning back around, Trini crossed her arms in front of her and looked at Cole expectantly. His eyes grew wide and he dropped to the floor, clutching his blankets and pillows.

"That's what I thought," Trini said. "Now don't make me come back down here. Good night."

Taking a deep breath, Trini turned away and headed upstairs to her bedroom. She paused at the bottom of the stairs to turn the lights off. Once Trini was gone, Cole scooted to the corner of the room by the basement door and made a nest out of the blankets. Making himself comfortable, he wrapped himself up and lay down to sleep.


	13. Sparring

Jason jerked awake, blinking his eyes. Trini's hand was on his shoulder and she was shaking him.

"Jason," she mumbled. "Jason, wake up."

"What's wrong?" he asked, rolling over to look at her.

"Something is making noise," she said. "Go see what it is."

Jason groaned.

"It's just the pipes," he muttered. "Go back to sleep."

"It's not the pipes," Trini said. "Now go see who or what it is."

Muttering under his breath, Jason threw back the blankets and climbed out of bed. Reaching underneath the bed, he grabbed his baseball bat and shuffled toward the stairs. As he walked down, he heard voices growing louder.

"Come on, Eric," someone said.

"Eric?" Jason muttered to himself. "What on earth is going on?"

"146…147…148…149…150…" someone else was counting.

"Alright, I'm done," Eric said, panting.

Jason stopped at the bottom of the stairs, blinking in surprise. The lights were on. Tommy, Eric, Wes, and Carter were all in the middle of the living room floor. Tommy was doing crunches and the other three were lying on their backs. The three were still in their pajamas, but Tommy was dressed, still wearing pants and a long-sleeve shirt.

"Mmm…" Eric groaned. "150 is my limit. That's gonna hurt later."

"Oh come on," Tommy said. "I'm the sick one."

"Yeah, not so sure about that," Wes muttered. "How many are you going to do?"

"I don't know," Tommy said, not pausing. "I figured I just keep going as long as I can."

"What is going on down here?" Jason asked, staring at them.

The other rangers turned to look at him.

"We were seeing who could do the most crunches," Wes said. "Tommy wins. By a long shot…"

Jason groaned.

"What's with the bat?" Tommy asked. "Planning on playing some ball? Cause I think it's a little dark for that right now."

Jason frowned, and then remembered the bat in his hand.

"I thought there was a burglar," he muttered.

Tommy paused his crunches, looking at Jason in surprise.

"Man, Jason," he said. "You have a house full of power rangers right now. If anyone was stupid enough to break in I'd feel sorry for them. I mean, you've got the four—sorry, five—of us down here."

"Although I don't know how much help the rookie would be," Wes said. "He's still passed out in the corner."

"True," Tommy said. "And then there's the group in the basement. Oh. And if anyone disturbed the girls' beauty sleep… I shudder to think of what might happen if someone did that."

Jason just groaned, shaking his head.

"Well, if you don't want my wife to skin you alive," he said, "then keep it down. It's 5:30 in the morning for crying out loud!"

"Sorry, bro," Tommy said, going back to doing crunches.

Muttering under his breath, Jason shouldered the bat and turned to head up the stairs. He had only put a foot on the first step when there was a knock on the door. Jason sighed and turned around. He walked to the front door and opened it, bat in hand. Hayley raised an eyebrow.

"Nice to see you too," she said. "Someone isn't a morning person."

She brushed past Jason, heading straight for the living room. He stared after her for a moment, and then shook his head and shut the door.

"Hey Hayley," Tommy said.

He was still going on the crunches.

"Wow, Hayley," Wes said. "You're up and dressed and ready to go."

"Your point?" she said, raising an eyebrow. "I knew Tommy would be up by now. He usually is."

"I'm not that bad," Tommy protested.

He stopped the crunches, lying back on the ground looking up at Hayley.

"Tommy," she sighed. "I could set a clock by you. Actually, I pretty much do."

He shrugged.

"Anyways," she said. "Have you eaten breakfast?"

The basement door opened. Rocky, Adam, Zach, and Billy stumbled up the stairs. They stood, blinking in the light and looking around. Jason groaned.

"What's going on?" Zach mumbled.

"Tommy is exercising," Jason answered.

The four rangers shook their heads.

"No one broke in," Rocky muttered, turning back down the stairs. "I'm going back to sleep."

Zach, Adam, and Billy followed him, yawning. Jason sighed and headed for the stairs again.

"Remember to keep it down," he said.

"We will," Hayley answered distractedly, repeating her question. "Tommy, did you eat?"

"Yes, Hayley," Tommy sighed. "I had a protein shake. And now I'm going to go for a run."

She started shaking her head, poking at him with one foot.

"Nope," she said. "Up. Time to eat a real breakfast. Come on."

When he didn't get up right away she started kicking at his shoulder. Jason shook his head and started up the stairs.

"Ow! Hayley!" he heard Tommy saying. "Knock it off. I'll eat breakfast. But I can't eat before I go running…"

Back in his room, Jason shut the door behind him. He dropped the bat in a corner and climbed back into bed. Trini rolled over, snuggling up next to him.

"What was it?" she asked.

"Tommy," Jason grumbled.

Trini frowned.

"Tommy?" she repeated. "Is he alright?"

"He's not gonna be if he wakes me up again," Jason answered, closing his eyes.

A few hours later, Jason was up again and heading down the stairs. Stretching and yawning, he headed straight for the kitchen. Tommy and Hayley were sitting at the table with Carter, eating breakfast.

"Good morning again," Hayley smiled.

"Mmm-hmmm…" Jason mumbled, heading for the coffee pot.

Trini walked in a few minutes later, looking far more awake than Jason, who was sitting at the table staring at his coffee. She saw him and just shook her head.

"He's not much of a morning person," Trini said. "Give the coffee a few minutes to kick in. He'll wake up."

"And if he doesn't," Tommy smirked, "I know a few ways to make him."

Jason glared at Tommy. Trini just laughed. Footsteps outside the kitchen interrupted them and Rocky, Adam, Zach, and Billy trooped into the kitchen.

"I told you I smelled food!" Rocky exclaimed, plopping into the chair next to Tommy.

He reached over to steal some of Tommy's food and Hayley smacked his hand.

"Don't touch," she said. "He needs to eat all of it."

Tommy groaned.

"Hayley," he said. "I'm almost done."

"Good," she said. "Then finish."

"So what is it?" Rocky asked, staring at Tommy's plate.

Tommy raised an eyebrow.

"An omelet," he said, taking another bite.

"You have eggs?" Rocky said, looking over at Trini.

She shrugged.

"I didn't think I did," she said. "But I guess I was wrong."

Tommy shook his head, finishing up his breakfast.

"No, you were right," he said. "You didn't have any eggs. So Hayley and I picked up the fixings for omelets while we were out."

"Wait a minute," Jason said. "I thought you were supposed to eat breakfast before you went on a run."

"I convinced Hayley to let me run first," Tommy said. "As long as she could come with me. And I knew you didn't have stuff for the omelets, so we stopped at the store. There's enough left in the fridge for everyone else."

Rocky jumped out of his seat and headed for the fridge.

"Great!" he exclaimed.

The others shook their heads. Standing up, Tommy and Hayley headed for the living room.

"You guys want something?" they heard Rocky asking.

"Umm… That's ok," Zach answered. "I'll make my own when you're finished."

"Same here," Adam agreed.

Tommy laughed as the other rangers joined him and Hayley, leaving Rocky alone in the kitchen.

"Is it safe to leave him alone in there?" Tommy asked.

Jason shrugged.

"What's the worst he could do?" he said.

Tommy looked at Jason, raising an eyebrow.

"You're kidding, right?" he asked. "This is Rocky we're talking about."

"What is Rocky doing now?" Aisha asked.

The group turned around to see Aisha and Kim at the bottom of the stairs. There was a loud clatter from the kitchen and Aisha's head whipped around.

"Rockford DeSantos!" she yelled, storming toward the kitchen. "If you break something—"

The rangers in the living room started laughing. Shaking her head, Kim headed for the window to open the blinds and let some light in. Tommy saw her and started to say something.

"Be careful," he said. "That pile of blankets is actually—never mind…"

Kim had stepped on the pile of blankets under the window in the corner. A loud yelp came from the pile and she jumped backward in surprise.

"By the way," Tommy said. "Don't step on the rookie."

"I believe it is too late for that warning," Billy said.

Cole clawed his way out of the blankets, glaring around him.

"What elephant stepped on me?" he exclaimed.

"What?" Kim exclaimed, her eyes narrowing as she glared at him.

Cole, catching his mistake too late, shrank back in the blankets. But before she could do anything, Rocky came out of the kitchen.

"Aisha kicked me out of the kitchen," he muttered, then paused when he caught sight of the pile. "Blanket pile! I love those!"

Before anyone could stop him, Rocky ran forward and leapt onto the pile of blankets, and Cole who was still underneath them.

"Ohhh…" Rocky groaned. "That was a lot harder than I thought it'd be…"

There was no sound from Cole.

"Great," Tommy muttered. "Just great. So much for no hospital trips…"

"You just killed the rookie!" Zach exclaimed, laughing.

"What?" Rocky said. "Oh…"

"What's happening?" Kat asked.

She and Tanya had just come down the stairs.

"We're going to be planning a funeral," Tommy said, running a hand through his hair. "And after all the work I've done to keep people from killing him…"

Cole groaned underneath Rocky. Sighing, Tommy walked over and yanked Rocky off of Cole.

"Guess the funeral is off," Adam said.

Once Rocky was up, Tommy pulled away some of the blankets and hauled Cole to his feet.

"Anything broken?" Tommy asked, making sure Cole wasn't going to fall over before he let go.

"I don't know…" Cole mumbled, swaying on the spot.

"Shake it off," Tommy said, patting him on the shoulder. "Food is in the kitchen. Maybe if you ask nicely, Aisha will make you something."

He pushed Cole toward the kitchen. The younger ranger stumbled for a moment, but kept going. Tommy sighed, shaking his head. Jason frowned, looking around.

"Hey," he said. "Where are Wes and Eric?"

"Are you just now noticing they're gone?" Tommy asked. "They left about an hour ago. Got a phone call. Something for the Silver Guardians. It sounded important, but they didn't give me any details. Said thank you for having them."

Jason nodded. Aisha poked her head into the living room.

"There are some omelets ready if anyone is hungry," she said.

The rangers who hadn't eaten yet exchanged looks. Hopping up, the group headed for the kitchen.

Later that day, the rangers were gathered in the backyard. They had decided to eat lunch outside since it was nice. Everyone was finished eating and Trini was taking the last of the dishes into the house. The rest of the group was watching Tommy. He was flipping, kicking, and bouncing his way back and forth across the backyard, even bouncing off the tree and the fence occasionally. No one said anything as they just followed his progress back and forth.

"Hayley," Jason finally said, leaning over to talk to her. "I thought you said he was tired."

"He was," she said. "Yesterday. The day after dialysis he's always tired. But the next day he has his energy back. He forgets how it feels to have that much energy, so he has a tendency to go a bit overboard…"

"I can tell," Jason said, still following Tommy.

"Why do you think I wouldn't let him have coffee this morning?" Hayley said. "I made that mistake once. The first time. Woke him up with a nice big cup of coffee. Never again."

Zach laughed.

"No kidding," he said. "I don't want to see him on coffee if this is him without it."

"Yeah," Hayley said. "On the bright side, the apartment was the cleanest I had ever seen it. I wouldn't let him leave."

The rangers all laughed.

"Alright, he's making me dizzy," Kat said, shaking her head. "Jason, can't you do something to burn off some of this energy? Why don't you spar with him?"

Jason sighed.

"I guess," he said. "This is not going to end well…"

He started to climb to his feet. Cole bounced up before him.

"I'll do it!" he exclaimed.

Grinning, Jason sat back down.

"Go right on ahead," he said.

Carter frowned, looking up at Cole.

"Umm… I don't think—" Carter started to say.

"It's fine," Jason interrupted, waving a hand. "If he wants to, let him."

Cole grinned.

"Hey Tommy!" he called. "Wanna spar?"

Tommy stopped to look at Cole.

"Umm… Sure," he said, frowning. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah," Cole said. "Let's go."

Shrugging, Tommy walked over.

"Do you know all of the rules?" Tommy asked.

"Yep," Cole answered. "Jason taught them to me on the megaship."

"Alright," Tommy said, nodding. "How about forty percent power then? Sound good to you?"

The other rangers started snickering. Cole glared at them and looked back at Tommy.

"Sure," he said. "Sounds good to me."

Tommy drew out a ring and they set up on opposite sides. Jason stepped up to referee.

"Ready?" Jason asked.

Both Tommy and Cole nodded.

"Go," Jason said.

They leapt into motion. Two hits later, Cole was lying flat on the ground.

"What was that?" he groaned, looking up at Tommy.

Tommy pulled him to his feet. The other rangers were all laughing, no longer trying to hide their amusement.

"That was forty," he said. "Do you need me to go lower?"

"No," Cole said.

"Ok," Tommy said. "Then what's the problem?"

Cole just glowered, brushing himself off.

"If you're done chatting," Jason said, grinning. "Reset."

Shaking his head, Tommy took his place. Once they were both ready, Jason let them go. Once again, it only took a few hits before Cole was out. And the cycle kept repeating. After Tommy had knocked Cole off of his feet for the eighth time, he called it.

"I think that's enough, Cole," he said, looking down at Cole lying in the grass. "You're gonna hurt yourself if you try to keep going."

Groaning as Tommy pulled him back to his feet, Cole nodded and shuffled off to the side. Once out of the way, he collapsed in the grass, lying on his back and staring up at the sky. Tommy just shook his head.

"Hey, Cole," Adam said, walking over and sitting down next to him. "You do know that none of us usually fight Tommy at one hundred percent right? Actually, for the most part, none of us fight full out when we're sparring. We save it for the real fights."

"And for Rocky when he's being stupid," Aisha added.

"Hey!" Rocky exclaimed.

"Even forty from some of us is pretty high for you," Adam continued, trying to make Cole feel better. "You're not bad. You're just—not at the same level. We've been training for a lot longer, even with some of us being out of practice."

Cole just groaned. Some of the other rangers laughed, shaking their heads. Jason stepped into the ring with Tommy, taking off his long sleeve shirt and leaving on the sleeveless undershirt.

"Guess it's my turn," Jason sighed. "You gonna take the shirt off now?"

Tommy looked down at his long sleeve shirt and shook his head.

"Nope," he said. "I'm good."

Jason stared at him.

"Listen, bro," Jason said. "I know you're good and all, but I'm no push over. You're gonna work up a sweat."

"I'm still good," Tommy said, shaking his head.

"Oh for goodness sakes," Hayley interrupted before Jason could say anything else. "He's not going to take it off because he doesn't want to freak you guys out."

Tommy groaned as everyone turned to look at him.

"Why would him taking off his shirt freak us out?" Trini asked.

"Yeah," Zach said. "It might make Kim faint again, but the rest of us would be fine."

Glaring, Kim reached over and smacked Zach. He winced, rubbing his arm. Tommy sighed, shaking his head.

"Knock it off, Zach," he said.

"Are you gonna answer the question?" Zach retorted.

Groaning, Tommy ran a hand through his hair.

"Just spit it out, bro," Jason said, frowning. "What's going on?"

"Might as well tell them now," Hayley said. "Because I'm pretty sure they're going to find out one way or another."

"Fine," Tommy said. "I have a port in my chest."

"A what?" Rocky asked.

Tommy sighed.

"A port, Rocky," he said. "It's for the dialysis. There's a tube under my skin that connects to a vein."

He pulled his shirt down a little, showing them a small lump where the tube connected.

"Anyways," Tommy continued. "It comes out a little further down, splitting into two tubes. That's how they connect me to the dialysis machine when I go in. The rest of the time I just keep it taped down."

The rangers stared.

"Guys, it's fine," Tommy said.

"But doesn't that hurt?" Kim asked, her eyes wide.

"Only if someone pulls on it," Tommy answered. "That's why I keep it taped."

"So you're like the bionic man, right?" Rocky asked, grinning.

Tommy raised an eyebrow.

"Not even close," he said, shaking his head. "Trini, are you alright?"

Trini was staring at Tommy, looking like she was about to cry. She nodded her head, sniffling.

"Trini, what's wrong?" Tommy asked.

She didn't answer for a moment, looking down at the ground.

"I hit you!" she finally burst out. "When you got here yesterday. I was hitting you…"

Tommy laughed. Trini frowned, looking up at him.

"Trini," Tommy said. "You didn't hit my port. You were hitting too high."

"I was?" Trini asked.

"Yeah," Tommy said. "You have a tendency to go for the shoulders anyways. I'm fine."

She smiled. Tommy smiled back. Jason clapped a hand on his shoulder.

"Ready to get started, bro?" Jason asked.

"You bet," Tommy answered.

"Need a ref?" Zach asked.

"Nah," Jason answered. "We'll be fine. I'm pretty sure I know how this is gonna go anyways."

Tommy grinned.

"Payback for yesterday," he said. "You wanna go full out?"

"I don't think so," Jason said. "I'm not exactly up for it since someone woke me up at 5:30 this morning."

"Aww.. Come one Jase," Tommy said. "You've had plenty of time to wake up. Let's go."

"Nope," Jason said, shaking his head. "Not happening."

There was a pause.

"Seventy?" they said together as they bumped fists.

Laughing, they both nodded and set. Without a word, Tommy and Jason leapt into motion. Jason lasted a lot longer against Tommy than Cole had. But with Tommy's energy level up the way it was, Jason had trouble keeping up with him. Tommy just kept dodging around his hits and landing his own. After landing on his back, again, Jason stayed down.

"I give up," he groaned. "You win."

"Oh come on, Jase," Tommy said, leaning over him. "You've just gotta move faster."

"Like this?" Jason asked, kicking Tommy's legs out from underneath him.

Tommy landed with a grunt and started laughing. Wandering over to look down at the pair, Zach just laughed and shook his head.

"Man," he said. "Maybe you guys are getting too old for this."

Jason and Tommy exchanged looks. Nodding to each other, they both sat up suddenly. Each of them grabbed one of Zach's legs and pulled, knocking him off of his feet. Falling back again, Jaosn and Tommy started laughing harder as Zach groaned.

"Oww…" Zach muttered. "That was not cool."

"Dog pile!" Rocky yelled.

The three laying on the ground looked up in time to see Rocky flying through the air. He landed on top of them. They all groaned. Shaking his head, Adam walked over. He poked at Rocky with his foot, rolling him off the others.

"You've gotta stop doing that," Adam said. "You're going to hurt yourself again. Or someone else."

Rocky grinned.

"Like this?" he said, grabbing Adam's ankle.

He tugged, pulling Adam's feet out from under him. Adam landed with a grunt. He bounced back up, glaring at Rocky.

"That's it," he said. "You're going down."

Rocky just laughed as Adam pinned him down. Shrugging, Tommy and Jason joined in the wrestling match. The girls sighed, shaking their heads. Billy stayed off to one side with Carter, avoiding anyone who tried to grab him. Cole was still lying on the ground, ignoring what was happening. Hayley just shook her head.

"Boys," Trini muttered.

Jason heard her. Grinning, he freed himself from the impromptu wrestling match and stalked toward her. Trini started backing up, shaking her head.

"Jason, no," Trini said, putting out a hand to try and stop him.

He ignored her. Instead, Jason scooped Trini up and tossed her into the fight. She landed on Tommy, who immediately pinned her and started tickling. Trini started screaming and kicking, hitting everyone except Tommy as she tried to get away. The other ranger girls exchanged looks.

"Alright, that's it," Kim said, marching over. "Thomas Oliver!"

She reached down and grabbed him by the ear. Tommy winced and let go of Trini. She in turn tackled Jason.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow," Tommy said. "Kim! Let go!"

"It's only fair," she said, crossing her arms and looking down at him sitting on the ground.

"Oh, is that so?" Tommy said.

Grabbing Kim by the ankle, he pulled her down to the ground. When Kim hit the ground, Aisha, Tanya, and Kat jumped into the fight, tackling the guys. Laughing, Rocky escaped the group and started moving toward Hayley, intending to pull her into the fight. She didn't see him approaching.

"Don't do it!" Tommy yelled from where Kim and Kat were sitting on him.

Rocky froze. Hayley turned to look at him. She growled and Rocky started backing away.

"Yeah, you really don't want to do that," Tommy said, trying to get up. "Hayley doesn't fight fair at all. She bites."

The others looked at her in surprise. Hayley just shrugged.

"I don't start things, I end them," she said.

"She really does," Tommy muttered, standing up and dusting himself off. "Anyways, I'm going to get going for a little while. I promised mom I'd stop by and I'm sure she has some chores for me to do."

Without waiting, Tommy took off toward the front of the house. But instead of pausing to open the gate to the front yard, he just vaulted over it.

"There's a—gate," Jason said, shaking his head. "And it's not locked…He just vaulted the fence. Again."

Hayley shrugged.

"Like I said. He's got a lot of energy," Hayley said. "Don't worry, though. He'll mellow out by tomorrow."

"I hope so," Jason muttered.

Everyone else involved in the wrestling match stood up, brushing themselves off. Frowning, Rocky looked around and saw Cole still lying on the ground. He grinned.

"Dog pile!" he yelled, running toward Cole.

"Yes!" Zach exclaimed.

He joined Rocky, and they both tackled Cole, who let out a yelp. Jason and the others started laughing.


	14. Football and Saying Goodbye

_Okay so in case you didn't get the memo go back and do a quick read of the beginning of chapter 12 (Bedtime) again it's kind of a missing chunk! Oops!_ _Anyway, for those of you who have read it than on with the story. I promise the next chapter will really be a real update!_

* * *

"Whoa, Rocky," Adam said. "Slow down. Save some food for the rest of us."

Rocky paused, looking up with his mouth full. Adam rolled his eyes, shaking his head. The rest of the group just laughed. They were all in the park, enjoying the sunshine with a picnic.

"Sorry…" Rocky mumbled.

"Rocky!" Aisha exclaimed, smacking him on the shoulder. "Don't talk with your mouth full."

He finished chewing and swallowed.

"Sorry," he muttered before taking another bite.

Aisha rolled her eyes. Tommy just laughed, lying back in the grass.

"We spent a lot of time here, didn't we?" Kim said, looking around.

"Yeah, we did," Zach said. "But it was usually because we were under attack."

"True," Jason said. "But that's behind us now. Well, most of us."

He looked over at Cole who just shrugged, taking another bite of his sandwich.

"Nothing I can't handle," Cole said.

"I miss this, though," Trini said. "All of us spending time together. We need to do this more often."

The rest of the group nodded in agreement.

"By the way, Jason," Tommy said, kicking Jason in the leg. "If you just jinxed us with that 'all behind us' comment, I'm going to throw you to whatever is coming after us."

Jason wadded up a napkin and threw it at Tommy, hitting him in the face. Tommy just laughed. A bright flash of light a short distance away had all of the rangers on their feet and on guard. They circled, back to back, looking for the source.

"Aww… Crap," Jason groaned.

"You are so dead, bro," Tommy said.

Voices and footsteps caught their attention and the rangers spun to see who or what was coming. Tommy saw them first.

"It's just TJ and the others," he sighed, relaxing. "Jason, you get to live another day."

"It's nice to see you guys, too," TJ said as the space rangers walked up. "But you didn't all have to get up to greet us."

The rangers glared at him.

"Tommy!" someone yelled.

Tommy grunted as he was tackled from behind. He was knocked to the ground, the tackler landing on top of him. Groaning, Tommy twisted around to see who was sitting on him.

"Justin!" he exclaimed. "Get off of me, kid."

Laughing, Justin rolled off. Rocky walked over, laughing at the pair. Tommy rolled over, groaning. He saw Rocky and glared.

"If you try it," Tommy growled. "I will kill you. And if I die before I can, I'll come back just to finish the job."

Eyes widening, Rocky slunk away. Tommy sat up, shaking his head. He poked a foot at Justin.

"So what are you doing with them?" Tommy asked, jerking his head over at the space rangers. "I thought you were supposed to be in school."

Justin sat up, shrugging.

"No classes today," he said. "So they picked me up. I wanted to see you while you were in town."

"Oh, good," Tommy said. "But you tackling me gives me the right to do this."

Before Justin could get away, Tommy reached over and grabbed him in a headlock, ruffling his hair as Justin tried to escape. Laughing, Tommy finally let go.

"Anyways, I thought you guys were trying to avoid drawing more attention," Tommy said, looking at the space rangers. "Transporting into the middle of the park doesn't fit that description."

TJ and the others shrugged.

"Not much point in hiding," Carlos said. "They find us anyways."

Tommy smirked.

"So, where's my phone?" he asked, looking at them expectantly.

"Oh! Right," TJ said, pulling the phone out of his pocket. "Here it is."

Tommy reached for it but TJ pulled his hand back.

"Uh-uh," he said. "Where are my keys?"

Shaking his head, Tommy reached into his pocket and pulled out TJ's car keys. The other space rangers joined the others on the ground. TJ reached for his keys, but Tommy held them out of reach.

"Aw, come on man," TJ said. "Give me my keys back."

"Phone first," Tommy said, holding out his other hand.

TJ shook his head.

"I don't think so," he said. "How do I know you'll give me my keys back?"

Tommy didn't say anything. He just kept his hand out. The two rangers stared at each other, waiting for someone to give. Finally TJ sighed and handed over the phone. Tommy smirked, putting it in his pocket.

"Keys?" TJ said, holding out his hand.

"Catch," Tommy said, tossing the keys in TJ's direction.

But he threw them harder than TJ was expecting. The keys went flying over TJ's head.

"Really?" TJ exclaimed, turning and seeing them land. "You just had to throw them into the fountain, didn't you?"

Tommy shrugged, laughing. The other rangers snickered. Grumbling, TJ walked over to the fountain to fish his keys out.

"Nice shot, bro," Jason said as Tommy sat back down.

"I actually didn't mean to throw them in there," Tommy said. "I was just aiming for the bushes. But it's entertaining regardless."

Jason laughed.

"So what are you guys doing here?" Adam asked. "We figured we wouldn't see you for a while after the other day."

"We made Andros and TJ come," Ashley answered.

"The rest of us wanted to visit, too," Cassie said.

TJ rejoined the group. Everyone stared at him for a moment. He was soaked, dripping water as he walked.

"What did you do?" Cassie asked. "Go swimming?"

"I got my keys," TJ said, holding them up before sticking them in his pocket. "And a dollar seventy-nine."

TJ held out his other hand, showing a handful of change. Cassie rolled her eyes.

"Wow, man," Zach said. "Was it really worth taking a dive in the fountain? Who knows what's been in there."

Shrugging, TJ started to sit down on the blanket, but Trini glared at him. TJ scooted backward and sat down in the grass.

"You know," Tommy said, smirking at TJ. "I'm actually glad the keys landed in the fountain. Payback for dumping water over my head on the ship."

"Now wait just a minute," TJ protested. "How else was I supposed to snap you out of it?"

Hayley frowned, looking over at Tommy. He shrugged.

"Sorry, Hayley," he said. "I forgot to tell you about that part. Anyways, TJ. You could have just locked me in the room. I would have gone back to bed eventually."

"He's right," Hayley said. "That's what I usually do. Tommy doesn't actually try all that hard to escape. And even if he does, he wears himself out more quickly and passes back out."

TJ and Andros exchanged looks and shrugged.

"I panicked, ok?" TJ said defensively. "I couldn't think of anything else to do."

"Wait a minute," Kat said. "Why would you lock Tommy in his bedroom?"

Tommy, Hayley, and the space rangers looked around. Everyone else was staring at them in confusion.

"Oh, right," TJ said. "You don't know about that part."

"Don't know about what?" Jason asked, looking at Tommy expectantly.

Tommy sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"It's one of the side effects," he said. "It happens occasionally when it's getting close to time for dialysis. I'll wake up confused and disoriented, having no idea where I am. And I usually don't recognize anyone."

"He just about gave me a heart attack the first time it happened," Hayley said. "I had fallen asleep on the couch reading a book and he woke me up demanding to know who I was and where I had taken him."

"Yeah," Tommy said. "And then she hit me. With a book that was the size and weight of a small encyclopedia."

Hayley smirked.

"It worked, didn't it?" she said. "And the look on your face made me feel so much better after you nearly scared me to death."

"And when were you planning on telling us about this?" Jason asked. "I mean, you are staying at my house right now."

Tommy shrugged.

"It didn't cross my mind," he said. "Until a few days ago, everyone who had to deal with it knew. Hayley. My parents. Andros and the other space rangers. Billy. They all knew about it already, so I forgot about making sure you guys knew."

Trini sighed.

"Well, at least we know now," she said. "Before something like that actually happens."

"I knew you weren't sleep walking on the ship," Carter said. "It seemed odd at the time, but I didn't have any other explanation for it."

"Yeah," Eric said. "This explains a lot."

"So do you do anything when you're wandering around?" Justin asked. "I've heard lots of stories about the weird things people do when they're sleepwalking. Is your thing like that?"

"No," Tommy said, shaking his head. "I usually just wander around confused until I pass back out or someone confronts me."

"Oh," Justin said. "Not nearly as much fun. But that probably means no camping for a while…"

Tommy shook his head, smiling. Cole frowned, looking at Justin. He leaned over to Carter.

"Who's the kid?" Cole asked.

Carter frowned.

"That's Justin," he answered.

"I got that," Cole said. "But who is he?"

"He's Justin," Carter said again. "Blue turbo ranger."

Cole's eyes widened and he looked over at Justin.

"But he's younger than me!" he exclaimed. "And the turbo rangers were years ago."

Carter nodded.

"Yes," he said. "Justin was twelve at the time."

"What?" Cole said in shock. "He was a ranger when he was twelve?"

Carter laughed, shaking his head.

"If it makes you feel any better," Carter said. "He was in high school already. Justin's a genius."

"That he is," Carlos said, overhearing the conversation. "He's only seventeen and he's already gotten his bachelor's degree. And he's still going. His parents want him to at least finish his masters."

Cole stared, dumbfounded. Carlos and Carter just laughed. Jason hopped up from his seat, looking around.

"Who wants to play a game of football?" Jason asked. "It'll be just like high school."

The rangers exchanged looks.

"Sure," Rocky said. "Let's go."

"You guys played football?" Cole asked.

"Yeah," Jason said. "All of us guys were on the football team. Even Tommy. Though it took him a while. Oh. Except Billy. But he was team manager. He decided that was a better use of his time."

Billy smiled.

"It left more time for other pursuits," he said.

"Let's play," Zach said, hopping up.

"I'll be a captain!" Cole exclaimed, leaping to his feet.

Jason raised an eyebrow.

"Sure, rookie," he said. "I'll be the other."

Cole and Jason took positions opposite each other.

"Go ahead," Jason nodded, letting Cole pick first.

Cole grinned.

"You're going down," he said. "I'll take Rocky."

Rocky hopped up, joining Cole. The others joined their sides as they were called.

"Zach," Jason said.

"Pick Adam," Rocky hissed at Cole.

Cole ignored him.

"TJ," he said.

"Adam," said Jason.

Rocky grumbled, glaring at Cole, who still ignored him.

"Tommy," Cole said, grinning.

Tommy just started shaking his head.

"Nope," he said. "I'm sitting this one out. Hayley, you can stand in for me."

Hayley rolled her eyes, but stood up. Cole frowned.

"Well, in that case," he said. "I'll take Carter."

Eyes narrowing, Hayley glared at Cole. She crossed her arms in front of her. Tommy winced seeing the look on her face.

"I'm going to go sit by the tree," he said.

He started walking over, passing right by Jason.

"Pick Hayley," Tommy hissed. "She's mad. And she's scary when she's mad. Pick her."

Jason raised an eyebrow, but nodded. Tommy sat down, leaning against the tree.

"Hayley," he said.

Shooting another glare at Cole, Hayley joined Jason's team.

"Carlos," Cole said.

"Andros," said Jason.

Cole frowned, looking at the remaining rangers.

"Pick Kim," Rocky hissed. "She's tiny, but she's scrappy. And she moves quickly."

"Alright," Cole muttered. "Kim."

Smiling, Kim joined his team. Trini was glaring at Jason.

"Trini," Jason said.

Smirking, she joined him.

"Umm…" Cole said, looking around again.

"Aisha," Rocky muttered behind Cole.

Cole turned around and glared at him. Rocky straightened up, trying to look innocent.

"Aisha," Cole sighed.

"Justin," Jason said.

"Ummm… Billy," said Cole.

Billy didn't move right away, looking around in surprise.

"Well, actually," he said. "I think that perhaps—"

"Billy can't play," Tommy interrupted. "I'm taking a nap and he needs to keep score."

"Correct!" Billy exclaimed, smiling as he hurried over to sit next to Tommy.

He sat down and leaned over.

"Thank you," Billy said quietly.

"No problem," Tommy said, pulling out pen and paper. "But I wasn't kidding. I really am going to take a nap."

Laughing, Billy took the pen and paper as Tommy leaned back and closed his eyes.

"Well," Cole said, frowning. "I guess I'll take…Hmmm…Kat."

She just rolled her eyes, joining them reluctantly. Cole's hesitation had her glaring at him behind his back.

"Tanya," Jason said.

Cole sighed.

"Ashley," he said, picking randomly.

"Then you're with me, Cass," Jason said.

TJ glared at the back of Cole's head. Cassie just grinned, waving a hand at him.

"We're so going to kick your butts," Cole bragged. "We've got all the muscle."

Jason's team glared at Cole. Tommy opened his eyes to look at the final lineup and started laughing. Behind Cole, TJ and the others were shaking their heads.

"I don't know about that," TJ said. "I'd say it's going to be pretty even."

"What do you mean?" Cole said, frowning.

Tommy started making cut off motions at TJ. He frowned. Furrowing his brow, Tommy started jerking his head toward the other team and shaking his head.

"Umm… You know what?" TJ said, the realization finally dawning on him. "Forget about it. Not important."

"Uh-huh," Cole said.

Shaking his head, Jason grabbed the ball.

"Ready to go, rookie?" Jason asked.

"Let's do this," Cole said.

Cole's team got possession of the ball first. They huddle up.

"Alright," Cole said. "Listen up. I'll be quarterback. You guys stop them, I'll throw the ball to Rocky. Rocky, you take it and run. We've got more than enough muscle on the team to stop them."

Over in Jason's huddle, they quickly divided up who was blocking who.

"Everyone got their person?" Jason asked.

The rest of the team nodded.

"Good," Jason said. "Then let's get them."

The two teams lined up. Cole got the ball after the snap and backed up, throwing it to Rocky. But the ball shifted course in mid-air, landing in Adam's hands. TJ, Ashley, and Carlos all saw it happen and immediately turned to catch Adam. But Jason, who was blocking TJ, tackled him to the ground before he could tackle Adam, who was running full speed toward the goal line. Ashley and Carlos chased him, but they were too far away. The other rangers on Cole's team were still trying to figure out where the ball had gone.

"Touchdown!" Tommy yelled.

"What?" Cole exclaimed, looking around in surprise.

Adam was in the end zone, holding the ball up in victory. Cole stared in confusion, but shook it off as everyone came back. The teams huddled again.

"Alright team," Cole said. "I'm not sure how he got the ball, but don't let it happen again."

"Cole," TJ started to say. "Just so you kno—"

"Don't worry about it, TJ," Cole interrupted. "We'll get it this time. Just stay on your people and make sure Rocky is clear to catch. Ready? Let's go."

TJ, Carlos, and Ashley exchanged looks. Sighing, they lined back up. They started again and Cole threw the ball to Rocky. Again, the ball shifted course mid-air. This time Zach caught it. Cole's team was better prepared this time though. They saw Zach catch the ball and those who could ran to tackle him. Zach just laughed, literally dancing around them. Reaching the end zone, he started doing a victory dance. Cole stared around in complete shock.

"What is going on?" he exclaimed.

"Cole," TJ said. "I tried to tell you last time. Andros has telekinesis."

"What?" Cole said in astonishment, looking over at Andros.

The red space ranger just shrugged. Some of the other rangers who didn't know about his abilities looked at him in surprise.

"He can move objects with his mind," Ashley said, thinking Cole need clarification.

"I got that," Cole snapped. "But why is he using it in football?"

The space rangers sighed.

"There is no rule against it," Andros answered.

"He's right," Carlos sighed. "We checked. Several times. But now we know better. Every time we introduce a new game, we make sure to include no telekinesis as a rule."

"There's no way that's fair," Cole protested. "Those touchdowns should be taken away."

Jason's team erupted in put his hands up and the protests died down.

"Alright, alright," he said. "Let's compromise. They get to keep their touchdowns."

"Yes!" Zach said, punching the air.

"But," TJ continued before Cole could protest again, "we instate a new rule. No more telekinesis. None of that one-hand or two-hand touch stuff. Just good, old-fashioned, tackle football. Agreed?"

"Yeah, agreed," Cole muttered.

Hayley put a hand in the air. TJ raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, Hayley?" he said.

"Are we playing AA or AAA?" she asked, putting her hand back down.

TJ paused for a moment, thinking.

"Let's go AAA," he said. "Good with you?"

"Yep," Hayley said, smirking.

They reset to start again. Cole got the ball again. But as he was getting ready to throw it, Hayley pushed past Kat, knocking her to the ground. She tackled Cole hard, taking him down. He fumbled the ball in surprise. Hayley leapt back up, grabbed the football, and took off down the field. Carter and Carlos chased after her.

"Don't bother," Tommy yelled. "She's already gone."

Hayley reached the end zone before anyone came close to catching her. Tommy just laughed over by the tree. Walking back toward the center of the field, Hayley stepped over Cole and went straight to Kat. She offered a hand. Kat accepted and Hayley pulled her to her feet.

"Sorry about that," Hayley said. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Kat said, laughing. "That was brilliant. Did you catch the look on Cole's face?"

Hayley started laughing too.

A couple of hours later they finally called the game. Cole's team limped off the field as Tommy laughed hysterically.

"I thought you were taking a nap," Billy said, looking over at Tommy.

"Watching the game was far more entertaining," Tommy said, shaking his head. "I'll take a nap later."

Groaning, Cole's team plopped down in the grass near Tommy and Billy. Still celebrating, Jason's team followed. Hayley sat down next to Tommy, smirking at Cole.

"Where did all of that come from?" Cole grumbled, glaring at Hayley.

Tommy started laughing harder.

"Oh," Tommy said. "Did I forget to mention? Hayley has five older brothers who played college football. And her dad is a football coach."

"What?" Cole exclaimed, bolting up right. "Ouch…"

He grimaced, falling backward into the grass.

"Yeah, sorry," said Tommy. "Must have slipped my mind when you picked someone else."

Cole glared. The other rangers looked at Hayley in surprise, but started laughing with Tommy.

"Yeah, you really didn't pick well, Cole," Tommy said. "I don't think you had any football players on your team at all."

Cole frowned, pushing himself up on his elbows.

"What do you mean?" he asked. "Doesn't TJ play?"

"TJ plays baseball," Tommy answered.

"Ok," said Cole. "Then Rocky."

"Doesn't play football," Aisha answered.

Cole looked around in confusion.

"But Jason said you all played in high school," he said.

"Yeah," Jason said. "As in the original guys. Me, Zach, and Tommy. Adam played soccer and Rocky just focused on karate."

"Oh," Cole said. "What about Carlos?"

"Soccer," Carlos said.

"Carter?" said Cole hopefully.

Carter shook his head.

"I run obstacle courses," he said.

"But what about in high school," Cole persisted.

"Track," Carter said. "No football."

Tommy started laughing harder as recognition dawned on Cole's face.

"And how many football players did you have Jase?" Tommy asked.

Jason shrugged, looking around and trying to count.

"Let's see," Tommy said, still laughing. "You, Zach, Hayley—"

"And me," Justin said. "I currently play intramural football at school. Gives me a break from studying and homework."

"So four," Jason said. "And Trini may not have played on a team, but she's learned a lot playing with me and she hits hard."

"Cassie hits hard, too," TJ said. "She is not afraid to take someone down."

"And I wouldn't put it past Tanya, either," Adam said, putting his arm around her shoulders.

"So I'd say the teams were pretty uneven in actual experience," Tommy said. "I know everyone on Cole's team would be ok with taking each other down, but experience is always helpful."

Cole grumbled, falling backward in the grass again.

"So what was the final score?" Carter asked, looking at Billy.

Billy picked up the score sheet.

"Forty-two," he said. "To seven."

Cole's team sighed.

"Yes!" TJ said. "My touchdown."

"You wouldn't have gotten it if Rocky hadn't gotten in the way," Hayley muttered.

"No kidding," Rocky groaned.

"Thanks, man," TJ said with a grin.

Laughing, Justin glanced at his watch. His eyes widened in surprise.

"Oh crap!" he exclaimed. "I didn't realize how late it was. I have exams tomorrow."

Leaping up, he grabbed TJ's shirt and started tugging.

"Come on, TJ," he said. "You promised you'd give me a ride back to campus. I gotta go study."

"I'm coming," TJ said, pulling his shirt free. "Geez, kid. Be patient."

"Let's go!" Justin said, taking off across the park. "Bye everyone!"

Sighing, TJ waved and took off after Justin.

"We should probably get going, too," Ashley said. "Ready to go, Andros?"

"Let's go home," he said.

The remaining space rangers gather around Andros. He gave the command to D.E.C.A. and they disappeared in a flash of light. Carter stood up, looking down at Cole.

"We'd better get going, too," he said. "We were supposed to leave an hour ago. You're team is going to be wondering where you are."

Groaning, Cole sat up. Carter pulled him to his feet.

"See you around, rookie," Jason said. "Try not to get yourself killed."

"Jason!" Trini exclaimed, smacking him. "Be nice."

Cole glared at Jason, but followed Carter to his jeep. The rest of the rangers started packing up to head back to Jason's house.

"This has been the best vacation ever," Zach said, still chuckling over the football game. "We are definitely doing this again next year."

A couple of days later, Jason rang the doorbell at the Oliver's house. The rest of the original rangers were standing on the porch behind him. They waited for someone to answer. A few moments later the door opened.

"Hello," Mrs. Oliver said, smiling. "Come on in. What are all of you doing here?"

"We came to see Tommy," Trini answered. "We know he's probably exhausted, but we thought maybe he could use some more company."

Still smiling, Mrs. Oliver led the way down the hall to the living room.

"Tommy is lying down on the couch right now," Mrs. Oliver said. "They just got back from the hospital about twenty minutes ago."

Hayley looked up from the book she was reading as the group trailed into the living room. She was curled up in one of the recliners while Tommy was stretched out on the couch. He was laying on his side, his eyes closed.

"Would any of you like a snack or something to drink?" Mrs. Oliver asked. "I can make sandwiches. There's chips and pop. Oh. I made cookies the other day."

"We're fine with anything, Mrs. Oliver," Jason said.

She nodded and hurried out of the room. Hayley laughed.

"You really shouldn't have said that," Hayley said when Mrs. Oliver was out of earshot. "She's going to bring back half the kitchen."

Jason shrugged.

"Man, Tommy looks awful," Zach said.

"You would, too," Tommy mumbled, causing the rangers to jump in surprise. "You try having all of your blood drained, recycled, and replaced and see how you feel."

Zach's eyes grew wide and he shuddered. Some of the others did the same thing. Tommy's eyes stayed closed the whole time. Sighing, Hayley lowered her book again.

"Tommy," she scolded. "You're supposed to be sleeping."

"I am," he said, still not opening his eyes.

"Uh-huh," Hayley said. "Then stop talking."

"Mmm k," Tommy mumbled.

Rolling her eyes, Hayley went back to reading. The room was silent for a few minutes as the rangers stared around, not sure what to do with themselves. Mrs. Oliver walked back in with a tray of sandwiches. She set it down on the coffee table and disappeared again, returning with glasses and several two-liters of pop. As she turned to head back toward the kitchen, Trini, Kim, and Kat started getting up to help her.

"Sit back down," Mrs. Oliver said, shooing them back toward their seats. "You're my guests. That means you relax."

They exchanged looks but sat back down. Hayley shook her head as Mrs. Oliver disappeared toward the kitchen again.

"She likes taking care of people," Hayley said, shrugging. "I don't even get to help. Why do you think I didn't get up?"

Mrs. Oliver came back again, setting down a plate of cookies and a couple bags of chips.

"Mom," Tommy said, not opening his eyes. "You're gonna make my friends explode."

"You hush," Mrs. Oliver said, hitting him lightly on the shoulder as she passed.

Tommy smiled. The other rangers laughed, helping themselves to the food. Mrs. Oliver came back with a steaming mug and handed it to Hayley before sitting down. Hayley smiled, setting down the book on her lap and taking a sip.

"Thank you, Mrs. Oliver," Hayley said.

"You're welcome dear," Mrs. Oliver answered. "Does everyone have enough to eat?"

"This is great, Mrs. Oliver," Zach said. "As long as Rocky doesn't eat it all."

"Hey!" Rocky exclaimed.

A vibrating sound caught their attention and everyone looked around for the source. Hayley sighed, setting her mug down on the end table and reaching into her pocket. She pulled out Tommy's phone.

"Hello?" she answered. "Oh! Hi Anton… Yes. He's right here. Just a moment."

Hayley leaned over and poked at Tommy.

"Tommy," she said.

"What?" he groaned. "You told me to sleep."

"It's Anton," Hayley said.

Sighing, Tommy held out a hand for the phone.

"Hello?" he said. "Hey, Anton… Yeah, I lost my phone again. Turns out Hayley had it…Right. She was trying to see how long it would take me to notice. Took longer than she expected."

Tommy laughed, still lying stretched out on the couch. Then he stopped, listening.

"Right," he said after a moment. "Yeah, I should probably take a look at that… No, we'll have to look into it more… Alright. I'm on my way. See you there."

Hanging up the phone, Tommy sighed. He sat up and ran a hand through his hair.

"I gotta go," he said, standing up.

"Do you really need to go now?" Mrs. Oliver asked.

"Sorry, mom," he answered. "But I've got to get back to the island. They need some help before they blow something up."

"Wait a minute," Zach said. "Who's blowing something up?"

"Hopefully no one," Tommy answered. "That is not the intention of the project."

Tommy walked out of the room to get his stuff together. Mrs. Oliver hurried after him to help. The rangers turned to look at Hayley.

"Where exactly is he going?" Jason asked.

Hayley shrugged.

"Work," she said.

"I've been meaning to ask," Adam said. "But what exactly does he do?"

"Well," Hayley said. "He's using this as his internship to finish up his doctorate. But I'm not exactly sure of everything involved. All I know is that it's some kind of top secret medical research."

Trini frowned.

"But isn't he a paleontology major?" she asked. "I remember him saying something about that the other day."

"Yes, he is," Hayley answered. "The research has something to do with dinosaur DNA. But other than that, I really have no idea. They're secluded on an island somewhere. Tommy won't tell me much."

The rangers looked at each other in surprise.

"You mean he's actually keeping you in the dark?" Kim said.

Hayley sighed.

"Yep," Tommy said, walking back into the room with his duffle bag. "That's the point of top secret. I made her promise not to hack into my computer to find out. My partner, Anton, is the one who called. Apparently being gone for almost two weeks is causing problems."

"So when are you going to be back again?" Trini asked.

Tommy shrugged, shaking his head.

"I don't know," he said. "I don't come back all that often. We have everything for dialysis set up on the island. That way I can focus."

"He has a tendency to lose track of time," Hayley said. "Sometimes I think he only knows what day it is because his mother or I call him every few days to check in."

Tommy rolled his eyes.

"Well," Aisha said. "You'd better be back in about seven months."

Tommy frowned in confusion.

"Umm… What's in seven months?" he asked.

Aisha's eyes narrowed and she turned to glare at Rocky.

"You didn't tell him?" she said.

Rocky froze with a sandwich in his mouth. Slowly he shook his head.

"Oops," he mumbled.

"Tell me what?" Tommy said, looking between them.

Aisha sighed.

"We're engaged," she said. "The wedding is in seven months."

"Man, Rocky," Tommy said. "When were you planning on telling me?"

"I'm sorry!" Rocky exclaimed. "I forgot, ok?"

Aisha glared at him again.

"We're gonna have a talk about that later," she said.

Tommy laughed.

"I'll do my best to be there," he said. "Just make sure you send me all the info, Aisha. I'll talk to Anton and work something out. He should be ok with it as long as I promise not to disappear for two weeks again."

Aisha smiled, nodding.

"Anyways," Tommy said. "I've gotta get going. I'll see you guys later."

"Bye, Tommy," the rangers chorused as he headed out the door.

Hayley sighed, shaking her head as they heard the front door open and close.

"He's not gone yet," she said.

"What do you mean?" Jason asked.

Hayley put up a hand.

"Three, two, one," she counted.

The front door opened again.

"Hayley!" Tommy called. "I need a ride. My car isn't here…"

Smirking, Hayley grabbed her keys.

"I was wondering how long it would take you to realize that," she responded as she walked out into the hall.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," said Tommy. "Let's go."

The door opened and closed again. Mrs. Oliver sighed.

"I'm glad she's giving him a ride," she said. "I don't want him driving right now anyways."

"Why not?" Kat asked. "Is he not allowed to?"

Mrs. Oliver shook her head.

"Oh no, it's not that," she said. "Nothing serious. But after dialysis this morning, he's exhausted. Tommy really shouldn't drive in that state."

The rangers nodded.

"Shouldn't he be better after dialysis though?" Jason asked.

"It goes in cycles," Mrs. Oliver answered. "Right after dialysis, he's always extremely tired and worn out. But by the next day he'll have his energy back. Hayley told me about him bouncing around the other day. The second day after dialysis, he has energy but has mellowed out a little. It settles on that level for a few days until he is suppose to get the next treatment. If he's late getting the treatment he starts to go downhill. The longer he goes without, the harder it is on him. But he goes in for another treatment and the cycle starts all over again."

"Man," Zach said. "That's gotta be tough."

Everyone else nodded in agreement.

"It is," Mrs. Oliver agreed. "But he's on the list waiting for a transplant. And at least he doesn't have to be constantly connected to the machine. He could have it a lot worse."

The room was quiet for a few minutes. Finally Zach sighed, standing up.

"I hate to do this, guys," he said. "But I gotta get going too. I need to get back to L.A."

"Affirmative," Billy said. "And I need to get a flight to Houston. My internship with NASA starts next week and I want to get settled in beforehand."

The rest of the group started standing up as well. They all started exchanging hugs and goodbyes as they headed toward the door. Saying goodbye to Mrs. Oliver, the group left the house. Outside they split up and headed for their cars.

"I can give you a ride to the airport, Billy," Kim said. "I'll be driving by there on my way out of town. I'm going to visit my dad before I leave to go back to Florida."

"Thank you," Billy said, following Kim to her car.

One after another, the cars took off and the rangers went back to their lives.


	15. The Wedding

Opening the door, Tommy walked into the house. He shuffled down the hallway to the living room, barely keeping his eyes opened. Dropping his bag on the floor, he sat down on the couch and stretched out, closing his eyes.

"Mom, are you home?" he called without opening his eyes.

There were footsteps in the hallway.

"No, but I am," Mr. Oliver said, walking into the room.

"Hey dad," Tommy said.

Mr. Oliver frowned, looking at his son on the couch. He sat down in the chair closest to Tommy's head.

"You alright, son?" he asked. "Cause the way you look right now would have your mother driving you to the emergency room."

"I'm fine," Tommy said. "Just need a nap."

"Tommy," Mr. Oliver sighed. "Are you sure you should be waiting any longer? You're already here."

Tommy shook his head.

"It's just a few more days," he said. "The wedding is this afternoon. We'll open presents with them tomorrow and then Rocky and Aisha leave the day after. And if I don't show up to the wedding they'll all freak out."

"Mmm hmm…" Mr. Oliver said.

Tommy groaned, rubbing a hand over his face.

"Has Hayley gotten here yet?" he asked.

"She's at the store with your mother," Mr. Oliver answered. "They're getting food for dinner."

Tommy nodded.

"Alright," he mumbled. "I'm gonna take a nap before I need to leave for the wedding."

Mr. Oliver shook his head, but left Tommy to sleep.

"Just about everyone is seated," Adam said, walking into the guys' dressing room. "Has anyone seen Tommy?"

"I just called him," Jason said. "He should be here any minute. Apparently he just got in this morning. But Justin is saving him a seat."

"Good," Rocky said, nodding.

The door opened again and Trini walked in, frowning.

"What are you guys doing?" she exclaimed. "Some of you are supposed to be showing guests to their seats. Let's go!"

Trini grabbed Jason and Zach by the sleeves and dragged them out of the room after her. Billy followed, shaking his head.

Taking a deep breath, Tommy climbed out of the car and headed inside.

"Wait a minute," Hayley called.

Tommy paused and turned around. She was leaning across the passenger seat, holding out his phone. Sighing, Tommy walked back to the car and grabbed it.

"I already turned it on silent," Hayley said. "Call if you need anything. If I don't hear from you, I'll be at the reception to pick you up around ten."

"Thanks, Hayley," Tommy said, nodding.

Hayley drove away and Tommy hurried inside.

"There you are!" Zach exclaimed when he saw Tommy. "Come on. There's a seat for you next to Justin."

Tommy nodded and followed Zach. He sat down next to Justin.

"Tommy!" Justin said. "We were beginning to think you weren't gonna show."

"Hey, kid," Tommy said. "I said I'd be here, didn't I?"

Rocky and his groomsmen took their places up front.

"Yeah," Justin said. "But you cut if awful close."

"Shh…" Tommy said. "Ceremony is starting."

After the ceremony, Tommy got in the receiving line with Justin. Aisha hugged him tightly when he finally reached her. He winced, but no one saw.

"I'm so glad you made it," she said.

"Good to see you, man," Rocky added.

Tommy smiled.

"I had no intentions of missing it," he said. "Missing one wedding was bad enough. I wasn't going to miss two. But you guys have lots of people left to talk to, so I'll see you at the reception."

Smiling, Rocky and Aisha turned to the next person in line. Tommy walked off to the side, looking for Justin. He found the younger ranger talking with some of the other guests.

"Got an extra seat?" Tommy asked him.

"Sure," Justin said. "Where's your car?"

Tommy shrugged.

"Hayley has it," he said.

"Ah," Justin said. "You ready to go, then?"

Tommy nodded and followed Justin to his car. He climbed into the passenger seat and leaned his head back, closing his eyes.

"Long drive?" Justin asked as he started driving.

"Yeah," Tommy said. "Something like that."

As guests arrived at the reception, they were shown to their tables. Tommy and Justin sat down with Jason, Trini, Kat, Zach, and Billy. Kim, Tanya, and Adam were part of the wedding party, so they were sitting at the head table with Aisha and Rocky. After the first dance, dinner was served.

"Are you alright, bro?" Jason asked, frowning.

Tommy was staring at his plate, picking at it and not really eating much. He glanced up at Jason.

"I'm fine," Tommy answered.

"Are you sure?" Jason said. "Cause you're not eating. And you kind of look like you're about to fall over."

Tommy laughed, shaking his head.

"I'm not gonna fall over, Jase," he said. "It was just a long drive home this morning."

Jason nodded, still frowning. Tommy forced himself to eat some more, smiling and laughing with the rest of the group.

As the music started, he stayed at the table instead of getting up and dancing. Seeing Trini eying him, Tommy stood up and started wandering around. He stopped to talk to people he knew, including talking more with Aisha and Rocky.

"You're gonna be there tomorrow, right?" Rocky asked, his arm around Aisha's waist.

"Of course," Tommy answered. "That's the plan."

Rocky snorted.

"Yeah, and we all know how well your plans work out sometimes," Rocky said.

"Better than yours," Tommy said.

Laughing, Aisha pulled Rocky away to go dance. Sighing, Tommy moved back to the table and sat down. He leaned back in the chair, closing his eyes for a moment.

"Tommy," Trini said, walking over.

He sat up.

"What are you doing here?" she said. "You've been by yourself almost all night."

"I've been visiting," Tommy protested. "And it's only been two hours. That doesn't count as all night."

Trini grabbed him by the hand and pulled Tommy to his feet.

"Well too bad," she said. "You're coming to dance with me anyways."

She started pulling him toward the dance floor. Tommy grimaced when she looked away, but allowed Trini to lead him. They danced for a few minutes before Tommy pulled away.

"What's wrong?" Trini asked.

"Nothing," Tommy said, smiling. "I'm just going to go get a drink. I'll be back in a little while."

Trini frowned, but let him go. Zach was starting a line dance and caught her attention, so she didn't see Tommy slip out of the room. Outside, Tommy leaned against the wall with one hand, his shoulders slumping. Pulling out his phone, he dialed and waited for an answer.

"Hayley?" he said. "Yeah… I need you to come get me… No. I just can't do this. I tried, but I can't. I really don't want to collapse in the middle of the floor. I ruined one wedding already. I'm not going to ruin another… Yeah, alright. I just need to grab my coat. See you in a few minutes."

Tommy hung up, putting the phone back in his pocket. He stayed where he was for a few moments, leaning against the wall. Taking a deep breath, he straightened up and turned to go back inside. No one was at the table when he grabbed his coat. They were all busy on the dance floor. Sighing, Tommy turned around and headed for the door. He paused at the door, leaning against the frame to catch himself. Running a hand through his hair, he straightened up again as Hayley came walking in the door. She saw him leaning against the doorframe and hurried over.

"Come on, Tommy," Hayley said. "Let's get you to the hospital. I don't think you should wait any longer."

"No," Tommy said, shaking his head as she took his arm. "I promised I'd be there tomorrow. Just take me home. Some sleep is all I need."

Sighing, Hayley lead him out to the car.

"Have any of you seen Tommy?" Jason asked.

The reception was starting to wind down. They still had another hour, but some of the guests with longer drives were heading out. The rangers had gathered in a small group to finalize plans for the next day.

"Not in a while," Zach said. "But with everyone here I figured he was just busy somewhere else."

"He left about an hour ago," Billy said.

"What?" Trini exclaimed. "Why?"

Billy frowned, nodding.

"I'm not positive," Billy answered. "But he seemed rather distressed. Hayley came in to get him."

"Do you think he's alright?" Kim said.

"I don't know," Jason said. "But I'm going to go give him a call. You guys go back to the party."

Nodding, the other rangers dispersed among the other guests. Jason stepped outside to call Tommy. The phone rang and then went to voicemail. Sighing, Jason left Tommy a message and headed back inside.

"Tommy," Hayley said. "Do you want to move to your bed?"

They were back at the Olivers' house. Tommy was lying stretched out on the couch. He couldn't keep his eyes open at all. Hayley was watching him in concern, trying to get him to talk. But he just kept mumbling his answers.

"No…" he answered. "Fine here…"

"Maybe we should go to the hospital," Hayley said. "I don't think you can wait any longer…"

"Mm fine…" Tommy mumbled. "Just sleep…"

Hayley sighed, shaking her head.

"You don't look fine," she argued. "And you can barely string two words together. Waiting any longer is a bad idea."

"Wait…" Tommy mumbled again. "Promised…Tomorrow…"

"That's it," Hayley said. "You stay put. I'll be right back."

"K…" said Tommy.

Standing up, Hayley headed into the kitchen. Mr. and Mrs. Oliver were sitting at the island counter talking. They paused and looked over when Hayley walked in.

"Is everything alright?" Mrs. Oliver asked.

Hayley shook her head.

"I think he needs to go now," she said. "He doesn't."

Mr. Oliver stood up.

"There's a simple solution to that," he said. "Dear, grab the keys and go start the car."

Mrs. Oliver nodded, hurrying out of the room. Hayley smiled.

"I'll grab his things, and follow in my car," she said.

Mr. Oliver went straight to the living room. He leaned over and looped one of Tommy's arms around his shoulders, pulling him up.

"Let's go, son," he said.

"Where?" Tommy mumbled.

"To the car," his father answered, practically dragging him toward the door.

Tommy was leaning fully on his father, only staying upright because he was there.

"Why?" asked Tommy.

"We're going for a ride," Mr. Oliver answered.

Holding Tommy up with one arm, Mr. Oliver hit the lights and opened the front door. Hayley was right behind them. He took Tommy outside and headed for the car while Hayley locked the house behind them.


	16. Where is he?

"They're here!" Kim squeaked, peering out the window.

"Then get away from the window!" Aisha exclaimed. "Before they see you staring."

It was the next morning and the rangers were all gathered at Rocky and Aisha's apartment. Once everyone arrived the plan was to open gifts with the couple and spend the day helping them get their apartment organized. Kim dropped the curtain and moved away from the window. A moment later there was a knock on the door. Aisha answered, letting Tanya and Adam in. Tanya had a big smile on her face.

"Guess what?" she exclaimed as they walked in.

She held up her left hand and the girls all squealed, swarming around her as they all started speaking at once. Shaking his head, Adam ducked out of the way and joined the guys by the couch.

"Nice job, man," Rocky said, elbowing Adam as he sat down. "She likes the ring."

Adam nodded and smiled, glancing back over at Tanya.

"Yeah," Zach said. "And so do the rest of them. Is the noise really necessary?"

"I think it's mandatory when girls get excited," Rocky said.

Adam looked around.

"Where's Tommy?" he asked. "He's an early riser, so I figured he'd be here by now."

Jason frowned, shaking his head.

"I don't know," he said. "No one has seen him since the reception last night and he never called me back."

"It is disconcerting," Billy said. "It is eleven 'o 'clock and none of us have spoken to him. Perhaps he has been delayed by his parents?"

Jason shook his head.

"No," he said. "He would have called us by now. Something is wrong."

The conversation had caught the girls' attention. They joined the guys, worried looks on their faces.

"Why don't we try calling him again?" Trini suggested.

Jason nodded, pulling out his phone. He dialed, putting it up to his ear. But it just went to voicemail again.

"Hey Tommy," Jason said, leaving a message. "It's Jason again. Just wondering where you are, bro. Call me back."

Sighing, he hung up.

"So what now?" Kat said. "Someone has to know where he is."

Jason picked his phone back up.

"Who are you calling now?" Trini asked.

"His parents," Jason answered.

The room was silent as he waited for an answer. Again, he got a voicemail. Jason left a message and hung up, frowning at his phone.

"Do you have Hayley's number?" Adam asked.

"Good idea," Jason said.

Picking up the phone again, he tried to call Hayley. But hers just went straight to voicemail. Jason shook his head, not bothering to leave a message.

"Something is definitely wrong," Jason said grimly.

Trini put a hand on his arm.

"Then let's go to the Olivers' house," she suggested. "Who knows? Maybe they just didn't hear the phone."

"Not likely," Jason said, shaking his head. "But yeah, let's go."

The other rangers exchanged glances and nodded. They all headed out to their cars and followed Jason to the Olivers' house. The house was dark when they pulled up and there weren't any cars in the driveway. But they all climbed out and headed up to the front door. Jason knocked and they waited.

"I don't think anyone is home," Zach said after a few minutes.

Jason had tried knocking a few times and ringing the doorbell, but no one had come. Sighing, he turned around.

"Is that Tommy's car?" he said, looking down at the street.

"It is," Adam said. "But I don't see Hayley's or his parents' cars."

Jason frowned, shaking his head.

"He wouldn't," Jason muttered to himself. "But no one is here. And no one is answering… He is so dead."

Jason turned and strode back toward his car.

"Jason, where are you going?" Trini asked.

"Just get in the car," he snapped, climbing in the driver's seat.

Trini looked at him in shock, but got in.

"Jason," Zach said. "What's wrong, man?"

He shook his head, starting the car.

"Everyone back in their cars," he said. "Follow me."

The other rangers complied, still confused. As they pulled away from the house, Trini looked over at Jason for an explanation.

"Jason, what's going on?" she said. "Where are we going?"

"The hospital," he answered.

"Why are we going to the hospital?" Trini asked.

Jason glanced over at her briefly.

"No one's home, Trini," he said. "And Tommy pretty much ran out last night."

Trini's eyes widened as she put two and two together.

"He wouldn't," she said, shaking her head. "Tommy would tell us."

"But he didn't," Jason said. "And I'm pretty sure that's what's going on."

Her eyes narrowed as she glared ahead of them.

"He is so dead," she muttered. "Step on it, Jason."

By the time they got to the hospital, most of the other rangers had realized the same thing as Jason and Trini. They all had determined looks on their faces as they headed inside the building. Just inside the main lobby, Trini put one hand up and the rest of the group paused. She walked over to the desk, a polite smile on her face. The nurse at the desk looked up.

"How can I help you?" she asked.

"We're here to see Tommy Oliver," she said.

The nurse nodded, looking through her charts.

"Let's see," she said. "Ah, yes. He was just put in a room about twenty minutes ago. He's on the third floor… Room 357."

"Thank you," Trini said.

The nurse nodded and Trini walked back over to the others.

"Third floor," she said. "Elevators are this way."

Sighing, Hayley shifted in her chair, looking around the room. She had left her book at the Olivers' house the night before. And there was nothing interesting to look at in the room. It was simply furnished and extremely clean. It smelled sterile, and a little stale. The walls were pale. Everything in the room was some shade of white or cream.

"There's no color," Hayley muttered to herself. "Well, I guess Tommy's blanket has color. Seafoam green…"

Hayley shifted again, looking back at Tommy. He still hadn't woken up, but everything seemed fine. She could hear the heart rate monitor beeping steadily and his breathing was even. Leaning forward, Hayley place her elbows on her knees and rested her chin in her hands as she studied Tommy. There were wires everywhere hooking him up to the monitors. Several of them disappeared under his hospital gown. He was wearing a blood pressure cuff on one arm as well, and a oxymeter on his finger. The iv hooked to the port in his chest. As Hayley watched, Tommy shifted, groaning.

"Oh good!" Hayley exclaimed, sitting up straight. "You're awake."

"Mmm…" Tommy mumbled without opening his eyes.

"Ok, so you're kind of awake," she said.

He shifted around, groaning again. Sighing, Tommy's eyes fluttered open..

"Good morning, sleepy head," Hayley said, smiling

He turned his head to look at Hayley, blinking as he tried to focus on her. Turning his head again, Tommy looked around, trying to figure out where he was.

"Where 'm I?" he mumbled.

"You're at the hospital," Hayley said. "We couldn't wait any longer."

Tommy frowned, still struggling to keep his eyes open.

The door opened. She turned around to see the rest of the rangers coming in. She sighed.

"Hey guys," Hayley said. "I was wondering how long it would take you to get here."

No one answered. Their focus was completely on Tommy.

"You are so dead, bro," Jason growled. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Hmmm?" Tommy mumbled.

"Please don't kill him right now," Hayley said. "He just got out of surgery."

"What?" Kim exclaimed, looking back at Tommy.

"He just got out," Hayley said. "They released him to a room about a half hour ago. And as for why he didn't call you—well, he wasn't really up to it."

Jason frowned, looking at Hayley.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Jason asked.

Hayley sighed.

"By the time I got him home from the reception last night, he was barely functioning," she answered. "He was completely exhausted. I was having trouble getting him to answer me, so his parents and I overruled and brought him in early."

"So he's been planning this?" Trini exclaimed.

"Yes," Hayley said.

"Tommy, why didn't you tell us?" Aisha asked.

"Mmm… what?" he mumbled, his eyes closed again.

"I'm going to kill him," Jason said, shaking his head.

Tommy blinked again, looking at Jason and then at Hayley.

"Hayley?" he muttered.

"Yes?" Hayley said, smiling.

"Why do they wanna kill me…" Tommy mumbled.

"Don't worry, Tommy. They're not going to kill," Hayley said. "The orderlies would kick him out. You need to go back to sleep now."

"K mom…" Tommy said, closing his eyes.

Hayley glared at him.

"Ok," she said. "I know he's completely out of it, but he is so going to pay for that later. I look nothing like his mother. And he already used my name!"

"Oh…" Kat said. "That's not fair… When he's like that it makes me not want to kill him."

Hayley rolled her eyes, shaking her head.

"I wasn't kidding about the orderlies," Hayley said. "People who work in hospitals are funny that way. They don't want the people they're trying to save threatened."

Jason grumbled under his breath, dropping into another chair. Trini sat down on his lap, leaning against his shoulder as he wrapped his arms around her. The rest of the rangers started making themselves comfortable. Hayley raised an eyebrow, looking around.

"What are you guys doing?" she asked.

"We're not leaving until he wakes up," Jason said.

"You'll be here all night," Hayley said. "They've pumped him so full of drugs he could supply his own crack house. He's not going to wake up for real anytime soon."

The rangers exchanged looks. Jason just stared at Tommy determinedly.

"Hey man," Zach said. "Why don't we come back tomorrow? He'll be here."

"Zach is right," Tanya said. "We promised to help Aisha and Rocky before they leave in tomorrow."

Jason didn't move.

"Jason," Hayley said. "Tommy's doing fine. The surgery went just as they hoped. All we have to wait for now is to see whether his body will accept or reject the kidney."

The rangers' eyes widened. Some of the girls gasped.

"Oh for goodness sakes," Hayley said, rolling her eyes again. "The doctors aren't predicting any problems. They're keeping a close eye on him. There are no signs of infection either. So, right now, he's doing just fine."

Jason still didn't move. Scooting off of his lap, Trini tugged on Jason's arm.

"Come on, sweetheart," she said. "Let's go back to the apartment. Hayley will call us if anything changes. We'll distract ourselves organizing the apartment and then come back first thing in the morning."

Jason sighed, but finally allowed Trini to pull him out of the chair. The other rangers funneled out of the door, Jason and Trini following. Pausing at the door, Jason took one last look at Tommy before heading out into the hallway.


	17. Back to work

"I can't believe all this is happening," Kim said. "It's just—What if something goes wrong?"

"Actually," Billy said, "on average, people who have transplants live 10-15 years longer than those who stay on dialysis long term."

"Billy," Kim sighed. "You're not helping…"

Tommy sighed, shifting as he opened his eyes. He blinked, surprised at how bright it was. Looking around, he groaned. All of his friends were sitting around the hospital room. The girls had taken the few chairs in the room while the guys were either standing or sitting on the floor. Kim was sitting in the chair next to the bed.

"He's awake!" Kim exclaimed.

Everyone turned to look at him in excitement. Jason, who was leaning against the wall next to Trini's chair, glared at him.

"Oh. Hey guys," he said. "You're all here…And that was a little loud…"

He frowned, seeing Rocky and Aisha.

"Aren't you two supposed to be gone?" he asked.

Aisha shook her head.

"Our flight doesn't leave until this afternoon," she said. "So, about six hours."

"Oh, ok," Tommy said. "Umm… Where are my parents? And Hayley?"

"They went to get something to eat," Tanya answered. "But at least Hayley should be back soon."

Tommy nodded. Seeing Jason still glaring, he sighed.

"Alright, Jase," he said. "What's the look for?"

Jason didn't answer for a moment, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Spit it out, bro," Tommy said.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Jason finally snapped. "You ran out on the reception. You wouldn't answer your phone. And none of us had any idea this was happening. I thought we had gotten past you keeping things from us."

Tommy sighed, leaning back.

"I'm sorry, Jason," he said. "It wasn't supposed to happen like this."

"Oh, so you were planning on telling us?" Jason said rather sarcasticly.

Tommy groaned.

"Yes, I was," Tommy said. "I was going to tell you yesterday that I was going to have the surgery tomorrow. Things just got a little out of control."

Jason glowered, still glaring at Tommy.

"Jase," Tommy said. "You can't stay mad at me forever."

He didn't answer. Trini sighed.

"He's determined to try," she said.

The room was silent for a moment.

"So how are you feeling?" Adam asked, breaking the silence.

"I'm not really sure right now," Tommy said. "But I think that has something to do with all of the medication they've got me on. I'm just glad they're not trying to keep me asleep."

"Yeah," Zach said. "You were really out of it yesterday."

"We were all worried," Kat added. "You really should be taking it easy."

Tommy rolled his eyes.

"Kat, I'm not doing anything," he said. "Unless you count lying in bed."

"Well, you shouldn't be fighting with Jason," she retorted.

"Believe me," Tommy sighed, looking over at Jason. "That's the last thing I want to do."

Jason didn't say anything. He just continued to glower.

"Jason," Tommy said. "If it makes you feel any better, this won't happen ever again."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Jason asked, frowning.

Tommy sighed, shifting up onto the pillows a little bit more.

"I made you one of my emergency contacts," Tommy answered. "I was planning on telling you about it the other day, but as I said, things kind of got out of hand. And when they brought me in the paperwork wasn't finished yet so you didn't get a call. But the good news is that if anything else happens someone will call you."

"Nothing else had better be happening," Jason said.

Tommy shrugged.

"I don't plan on it," he said.

"You never plan on it," Jason sighed, shaking his head.

"But you're not mad at me anymore," Tommy grinned.

Jason glared, but couldn't keep it up.

"Fine," he muttered. "I'm not mad at you anymore."

Trini laughed, looking up at him expectantly. Jason sighed.

"Well, I guess we'd better get you up to date then," he said.

Tommy raised an eyebrow.

"It hasn't even been two full days yet," he said. "What could I possibly have missed?"

"Let's see," Jason said. "They're leaving."

He nodded toward Aisha and Rocky. Tommy rolled his eyes.

"I knew that," he said. "We covered it already, remember?"

"Right," Jason said. "How about this one? Adam and Tanya are engaged."

Tommy turned to look at them, smiling.

"Congrats, guys," he said. "That one I saw coming. I just wasn't sure when."

"Fair enough," Jason said.

He paused, putting a hand on Trini's shoulder.

"Oh," Jason said. "By the way. We're pregnant."

The room was silent for a moment.

"Ok," Tommy said slowly. "That one I didn't see coming."

"What?" Kim exclaimed. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"Good to know I'm not the last to find out," Tommy muttered.

The rangers were all talking, everyone asking questions. Jason put up a hand and they all quieted down.

"Relax, guys," he said. "We'll give you more details later. We just wanted to make sure we made the announcement before Rocky and Aisha left."

It was quiet again for a moment as the group tried to refrain from asking anymore questions.

"So how long do you have to be here?" Zach asked, looking at Tommy.

"They said a couple of weeks," Tommy answered. "As long as everything goes smoothly."

"Ok," Zach said. "And how long are you going to be under house arrest?"

"As long as I want to keep him there," Hayley said, walking in the room.

Tommy groaned. Hayley just smirked, walking over and sitting down gently on the edge of the bed.

"I don't really have to worry about you," Tommy said. "You'll eventually get bored. Mom won't."

"Nope," Hayley said. "They're back at the house right now, moving your stuff up from the basement to the room next to theirs."

"Great," Tommy muttered. "She does realize I will need to go back to work, right?"

Hayley shrugged.

"Probably," she said. "But she's going to keep you as long as she possibly can."

Tommy sighed.

"Then she gets to explain to Anton why I'm not back," he said.

Hayley just shook her head.

"Man, Tommy," Adam said. "You can't really be thinking about work already."

"Adam's right," Tanya added. "You need time to recover."

"Oh he's thinking about it," Hayley said. "Just try and stop him."

Tommy glared at her.

"I'm not going back for about a month," he said. "Besides, we have an entire medical set-up on the island just in case. I'll be fine."

"Perhaps," Billy said. "Have you taken into account the six month recovery period?"

"Yep," Tommy said. "All taken care of. I worked it out with Anton. When I get back, I'll mostly be doing desk work. We hired a couple of new interns to do the running around for me."

"Nice," Zach said. "You've got your own slaves."

Tommy shrugged.

"Pretty much," he said. "They aren't paid positions."

Zach laughed. Looking around, Tommy frowned.

"Alright, Rocky," he said. "What's going on? You haven't said a word since I woke up. And frankly, that scares me."

"I'm sorry," Rocky said. "Hospitals creep me out… And Aisha told me if I didn't sit still and be quiet, she was going to make me go sit in the car…"

Tommy burst out laughing and then grimaced.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow," he said, trying to stop laughing. "That hurts. Don't make me laugh right now."

Aisha whipped around and smacked Rocky on the shoulder.

"Rocky!" she exclaimed. "That's why I told you to be quiet!"

"Aisha," Tommy said. "Not helping! Now out! All of you. Out. Go."

The rangers looked at him in surprise. He just shook his head, still trying to control the laughter.

"I'm not mad," Tommy laughed, wincing again. "But I can't stop laughing with you here. Just go. I'll see you guys later. Out."

"Alright," Tommy said, walking into the living room. "I'm ready to go."

His duffle bag was slung over one shoulder and he was carrying his computer bag in his hand. Hayley, Jason, Trini, and his parents looked up as he came in.

"Is that all you're taking?" Mrs. Oliver asked.

Tommy sighed.

"I can't take my entire room, mom," he said. "And it's not like I don't do laundry while I'm there."

"I know," she said. "I just wanted to make sure you have everything you need."

"Well, between the list you gave me and Hayley checking everything, I think I'm good," he said, smiling.

Hayley smirked. They all stood up to say their goodbyes as Tommy set his bags down in a chair.

"Are you sure you need to go?" Mrs. Oliver asked, hugging Tommy.

"I need to get back to work, mom," he said, hugging her back. "But I'll be back soon enough."

"Well you'd better be," Trini said, crossing her arms in front of her.

"Don't worry," Tommy said. "I've already worked it out with Anton. As soon as I get a call from Jason that something is happening, I'll be on my way back. Six months will fly by with everything you have to do to get ready."

Trini sighed.

"Don't I know it," she said.

"And then you're staying until after Tanya and Adam's wedding, right?" Jason asked.

Tommy nodded.

"That's the plan," he said. "And then after their send-off it's back to work."

"You're turning into a real work-a-holic," Jason said, shaking his head.

Tommy shrugged.

"There's a lot to do," he said. "The good news is I think we're getting closer to actually accomplishing something."

Hayley raised an eyebrow.

"You've been saying that for the past year," she said.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Tommy muttered, picking his duffle bag back up and slinging it over his shoulder.

"Now don't work too hard," Mrs. Oliver said. "You're still in recovery for the next four months."

"He'll be fine," Mr. Oliver said, putting an arm around his wife's shoulders. "And you'll be checking in frequently, right Tommy?"

"I will, dad," Tommy answered as he grabbed his computer bag. "The last thing I want is someone coming to hunt me down because I didn't call."

"And don't think I wouldn't," Hayley said, crossing her arms.

Shaking his head, Tommy grabbed his car keys off of the end table and headed toward the door.

"I'll call when I get there," he said. "See you in six months."


	18. Surprise!

"Sounds good to me," Jason said. "So what time do you want us there tomorrow?"

Jason was sitting in the living room talking on the phone.

_"Two'o'clock work?" _Adam asked.

"Yeah, that'll be just fine," Jason said.

"Jason!" Trini called down the stairs. "Can you run out and get me a pastrami sandwich?"

He groaned, looking at the clock.

"Oh," she said. "And a seedless watermelon to go with it."

"Just a minute, Adam," he said. "Trini, where am I supposed to find a seedless watermelon? Watermelons aren't in season."

She was standing on the bottom step now, looking at him expectantly.

"I don't know," Trini said, crossing her arms in front of her. "Mexico? Oh. Some coleslaw, too."

Jason groaned again.

"Listen, Adam," he said. "I'm going to have to call you back. Oh! Do you know where I can get a seedless watermelon?"

_"Watermelon isn't in season," _Adam said.

In the background, Jason could hear Rocky laughing.

"I know," Jason muttered. "But Trini wants one."

Sighing, he looked back over at her.

"Honey, do you really need this right now?" he asked. "It's ten 'o 'clock at night. Why don't you just go to bed?"

"I'm not going to bed," she said, glaring.

"Alright," Jason sighed. "Adam, I'll talk to you later. Apparently I'm going to the store. I really have no idea where I'm going to get the watermelon at this time of the year…"

"Jason, where are we going?" Trini asked, looking out of the car window.

"I don't know," he answered. "I'm just following the directions Adam gave me."

Trini sighed, leaning back in the seat.

"Well," she said. "Then what are we going to be doing?"

"I don't know," Jason said again. "He didn't tell me."

"That's odd," Trini said, frowning. "Why wouldn't he tell you what we're doing?"

"Trini," Jason sighed. "I don't know. But we'll be there soon and you can ask him. Ok?"

"Fine," she muttered.

The rest of the car ride was silent.

"Wait a minute," Trini said. "Why are we stopping at Rocky and Aisha's house?"

Jason sighed, parking the car and turning it off.

"Adam said to stop here first," he said. "He probably needs us to help them with something. So let's go see, alright?"

Grumbling, Trini climbed out of the car and headed inside. Rocky and Aisha had recently moved into a small house, upgrading from their small apartment. Jason knocked on the door and Aisha answered.

"Come on in," she said. "Everything is in the living room."

Jason allowed Trini to take the lead, sharing a smile with Aisha behind her. Trini rounded the corner into the living room with Jason and Aisha behind her.

"Surprise!" the rest of the rangers yelled.

Trini jumped in surprise, looking around. The room was completely decorated in pink and blue steamers and balloons. There was a pile of presents on the floor by the coffee table. Walking up behind Trini, Jason wrapped his arms around her.

"Surprise, honey," he said.

She twisted around to look at him.

"You knew, didn't you," she accused him.

"Yes," he said, grinning. "I helped plan the surprise."

"We decorated in both colors because we still don't know if the baby is going to be a girl or a boy," Kim added. "Jason wouldn't tell us."

Trini turned to look at Kim and the others.

"That's because Trini says we want it to be a surprise," Jason said, shaking his head.

"Well, we do," Trini said, glaring over her shoulder at Jason.

He just smiled, nodding.

"Come on, Trini," Kim said. "Let's open presents."

Kim grabbed her by the hand and pulled her toward the couch. Jason followed, sitting down next to Trini as the other rangers gathered around to watch. Trini shook her head as she looked at the pile.

"Well," she said. "It isn't going to be hard to guess who got me what."

"We all have a tendency to gravitate toward our colors," Billy said, shrugging.

The presents were wrapped in an assortment of ranger colors rather than baby wrapping paper.

"Open mine first," Kim insisted, handing Trini a pink wrapped box.

Smiling, Trini took the present and started unwrapping it. Trini dropped the wrapping paper on the floor by her feet. Opening the box, she started pulling out an assortment of baby clothes.

"I got some for a boy and some for a girl," Kim said, smiling in excitement. "I know you won't need both right now, but now you're covered either way. And one of us is bound to use the other clothes eventually."

"Thank you, Kim," Trini smiled, putting the clothes back in the box.

Kat handed her another pink wrapped box. This one was heavier than the first one. Trini opened the box and the first thing she pulled out was a little pink dress.

"It's so cute!" Kim exclaimed.

Trini sighed, shaking her head.

"It is," she said. "But what if we have a boy?"

Kat shrugged.

"Then I guess it gets passed on to the first one to have a girl," she said. "It was just too cute to pass up."

Jason groaned.

"I'm hoping for a boy," he said. "And he's going to love red."

"Mmm hmm…" Trini said, raising an eyebrow. "And what's wrong with yellow?"

"Nothing," Jason said quickly. "I just meant—"

Trini glared at him and Jason stopped talking.

"There are many colors for the child to choose from," Billy said. "Perhaps it would be best to wait until the child develops their own preferences instead of trying to force the choice on them."

"You're right, Billy," Trini said, smiling. "Although I think we would all like to see our children take after us."

"As long as they don't end up in near-death situations every other day," Jason muttered.

Trini sighed, rolling her eyes and looked back in the box. Reaching inside the box again, she started pulling out a pile of baby videos.

"These are great!" Trini exclaimed.

Kat grinned. Balancing the pile of videos on the table, Trini put her hands out to take the next gift.

"This one is from Zach," Kim said, handing Trini a black-wrapped box.

Zach grinned. He was sitting on the floor on the other side of the coffee table. Trini took the box and nearly dropped it. Jason helped her catch it and held it on his lap while she unwrapped it. Underneath the wrapping paper was a giant box of baby food.

"Thank you, Zach," Trini said slowly. "Umm… You do realize the baby won't be eating this for a while, right?"

"What?" Zach said. "Oh… I didn't think of that…"

Trini laughed, smiling.

"Don't worry about it," she said. "It was a great idea. And as long as it doesn't expire, I'll be able to use it eventually."

Zach just shrugged apologetically. Kat handed Trini a yellow-wrapped package. She opened it to find more clothes, in neutral colors, and a breast pump.

"I wanted to get you some cute clothes your baby can wear no matter what," Tanya said. "Besides, it's always nice to have lots of clothes."

"Thank you, Tanya," Trini smiled, setting the items on the table.

Rocky frowned, picking up the breast pump box.

"What's this?" he asked.

Aisha snatched it out of his hand and dropped it back in one of the boxes of clothes.

"Don't worry about it," she sighed.

Zach snorted, shaking his head. Groaning, Jason rubbed a hand across his face.

"Anyways," Kim said. "Here's the next gift."

It was a small, lumpy present wrapped in red paper. Trini opened it and stared.

"Umm… Rocky?" she said. "What is this?"

She dropped the paper, holding up a small plush raccoon. Frowning, Jason took the animal from Trini to look at the tag, which was still attached.

"It's a stuffed animal," Rocky answered.

"Bacon-scented dog chew," Jason read off of the tag.

"What?" Zach exclaimed, bursting out in laughter.

"Rocky!" Aisha snapped.

"What?" he said defensively. "It was down the baby aisle. Besides, it's kind of cute."

Shaking his head, Adam took the toy from Jason. He sniffed at it.

"It actually does smell like bacon," he said.

"Let me smell it!" Zach laughed, holding out his hands.

Adam tossed the dog toy to Zach. He snatched it out of the air, squishing it. The toy let out a squeak. Zach stared at it in shock for a moment and then burst out laughing again and started squeezing the toy.

"It squeaks!" Zach yelled.

"Rocky!" Trini finally exclaimed. "I'm not having puppies!"

Zach started laughing even harder, falling over and rolling on the floor. Jason glared at Rocky, putting his arm around Trini's shoulders. Aisha was glaring at him as well. The rest of the rangers were snickering.

"You are so not allowed to present shop on your own anymore," Aisha muttered.

"Sorry," Rocky said.

Taking a deep breath, Aisha stood up and walked behind the couch to pick something up. She came back around with a car seat in her hands. There was a giant yellow bow tied to it.

"Sorry it's not wrapped," she said, handing it to Trini. "But I didn't have a big enough box and I didn't think wrapping it as is would work very well."

"That's fine, Aisha," Trini said. "Thank you."

Handing the car seat to Jason, Trini took the next gift from Kim. This one was wrapped in blue. Inside the box, Trini found a whole bunch of educational children's books and, at the very bottom, a package of diapers.

"I selected a variety of books," Billy said. "That way the child has plenty of choices. The diapers are self-explanatory."

Trini laughed.

"Thank you, Billy," she said. "We'll definitely be putting a bookshelf in the baby's room."

"My turn," Adam said, handing Trini a box with black and green striped wrapping paper.

Inside the box was a bunch of stuffed animals. Trini smiled, pulling out a small brown teddy bear.

"And those are what real stuffed animals look like," Adam grinned, looking over at Rocky. "I found them in the toys."

Rocky glared and Zach burst out laughing again.

"They're adorable, Adam," Trini said. "They baby will have lots of toys to choose from."

He nodded, smiling. Looking around, Trini frowned. Then she caught site of a large box in the corner.

"What's that?" she asked.

"Oh!" Aisha exclaimed. "That's from Tommy. It arrived this morning. But since it is addressed to you, we didn't open it."

Smiling, Trini got up off of the couch and walked over to the box. Jason followed and helped her get the package open.

"It's a crib!" Trini exclaimed. "Oh. And a note."

She opened the note and started reading.

_Trini,_

_ Sorry I couldn't make it to the shower. Hope everything is going well. Anyways, I decided that I was going to spoil your kid right off the bat. With Jason as a father, someone has to. Although, since you're the mother it won't be that bad. You'll make up for him. And yes, I know he's probably glaring by now if you're reading this out loud. Enjoy the party. I'll see you in a couple of months._

_ -Tommy _

Trini glanced up to see that Jason was indeed glaring at the letter in her hands. She laughed, shaking her head and setting the note off to the side.

"He is so dead," Jason said.

"That's probably why he sent the letter," Trini said. "He knows you can't reach him on the island. And by the time he comes back you're going to be a little preoccupied."

Jason sighed, still frowning.

"He's lucky I don't know where the island is," he muttered.

"I think that's the point," Trini said, patting his arm.

She started opening the top of the box to look inside.

"It has yellow cushions!" she exclaimed, pulling one out.

Jason groaned, shaking his head. Trini laughed, putting the cushion back in the box.

"Here's the cake!" Aisha said, walking back into the room with a small chocolate cake.

She had slipped out while they were looking at the crib.

"Go have some cake, Trini," Jason said. "I'm going to get things organized for packing in the car. Really wasn't expecting the crib…"

Trini laughed again, but nodded and joined Aisha who was cutting the cake. Jason started gathering things together, trying to pack them into as few boxes as possible. When he picked up the pink dress Kat had bought, he paused, staring at it.

"It's killing you, isn't it?" Rocky asked, walking up behind him.

"Yes!" Jason exclaimed.

Rocky laughed, patting him on the back.

"Well," he said. "The good news is you only have to wait three more months."

"Two," Jason corrected. "I don't think I could handle three more months of not knowing. I don't even know if I can handle two…"

"Well that's too bad for you," Trini said behind him.

Jason jumped and dropped the dress in the box of clothes. He spun to look at Trini. She was standing behind him with a piece of cake on a small plate.

"Now," she said. "Would you be a dear and please get me some salsa to go with this cake?"

"Alright," Jason sighed. "Rocky, do you have salsa?"

Rocky was staring at Trini, a look of disgust on his face.

"But that's gro—" he started to say.

Trini raised an eyebrow and Rocky stopped.

"Yes," Rocky said, starting again. "Let me show you where it is."

Jason rolled his eyes and started pushing Rocky toward the kitchen.

"Might as well grab some honey, too," he said. "Cause she'll be wanting that next. I think I might finally have a pattern down for her cravings. Maybe…"


	19. Baby!

_I'm back! So, just wanted to say you guys are awesome. Thanks for the feedback and encouragement, it really helps to keep myself and hazergirl1220 focused. :) So by the title of this chapter i bet you can guess who we get to meet here... so before you read send us a guess boy or girl? :D Anyway keep reviewing we love to hear your thoughts and ideas! (Oh and as a heads up there are about 34ish chapters to this story total so just over half way done!) _

* * *

Tommy sighed, rubbing a hand across his forehead as he stared at his computer screen. The pile of papers on his desk hadn't grown any smaller in the past hour. Mostly because of the other person in the room. He just hadn't been able to concentrate. Tommy sighed again, glancing up at the young intern pacing around his office.

"Is there anything I can get you?" she was saying. "I could freshen up your coffee. Or run the papers to Mr. Mercer. Oh! Do you need any copies made? I can make you copies. Did you get the message from Dr. Smith about the tests this afternoon?"

She continued rambling as Tommy nodded, murmuring short replies.

"No. No coffee," he answered. "That's ok. And no, I don't need any copies right now. I did."

Tommy glanced at his watch.

"Sara," he said, interrupting her ramble.

Sara paused, turning to look at him.

"Yes, Dr. Oliver?" she said, smiling.

"Why don't you go get something to eat?" he suggested. "It is lunch time."

"Oh!" she exclaimed. "Can I get you something to eat? I would be happy to get you something. What would you like?"

Tommy sighed, shaking his head.

"That's alright," he said. "I just need to finish up a few things and then I'll be down to the dining hall. You go ahead and go eat now."

"But it wouldn't be a problem at all," Sara said. "I can bring you a plate up and then you can continue working if you'd like."

The phone rang, interrupting before Tommy could say anything else. He quickly grabbed it.

"Hello?" he answered. "Jason! Just a moment."

Tommy put a hand over the mouth piece.

"Sara, I really need to take this call," he said. "Please go ahead on down to lunch. If I need you for anything I will page you."

She nodded, looking very disappointed. But she left. Tommy shook his head at the slight pout in her expression as he put the phone back to his ear.

"You have the best timing ever, bro," Tommy said, relieved. "So what's going on?"

He paused, listening.

"Oh!" he exclaimed. "Alright. I'm on my way."

Hanging up the phone, Tommy shut down his laptop and started shoving things into his computer bag. Standing up from his desk, he looked around to make sure he wasn't forgetting anything and then hurried out of the office.

Jason paced back and forth around the hospital room. The baby was sleeping peacefully in the basinet next to the bed. Trini, who was sitting on the bed propped up with pillows, shook in her head, sighing in exasperation.

"Would you stop pacing!" she finally exclaimed.

"I'm sorry," Jason said. "But he was supposed to be here an hour ago and we haven't heard anything at all."

"Jason," Trini said. "He probably got caught in traffic somewhere. Relax. Tommy will be here. So please, sit down."

He sighed, dropping down into the chair next to the bed. Looking at Trini, he smiled. She looked tired, but there was still a smile on her face. The door opened and Jason turned to look. Tommy stepped in, smiling.

"Hey guys," he said. "Sorry I'm late."

Shutting the door behind him, Tommy walked over to give Jason and Trini a hug.

"How are you doing?" he asked Trini.

"Tired," she said. "But good."

Tommy smiled.

"I don't want to sound rude," Tommy said. "But this couldn't have happened at a better time."

Jason frowned.

"What?" he asked.

Tommy just shook his head.

"I'll explain later," he said. "I'm just really glad you got me out of my office."

Walking around the bed, Tommy stopped next to the basinet.

"She's adorable, Jase," he said, glancing over his shoulder. "Ashley and Andros beat you by about six months though."

Jason frowned.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"They have twins," Tommy answered. "Andros has sent me a couple of pictures. Remind me to show you later."

"I think one is enough for now," Jason said, shaking his head.

"So what did you decide on for a name?" Tommy asked.

Jason grinned, taking Trini's hand.

"Her name is Hope," Trini said, smiling.

"Hey sweetheart," Tommy said softly.

He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a small, stuffed green dinosaur.

"Really?" Jason said, shaking his head. "That thing is going to give her nightmares, bro."

"No it won't," Tommy said, holding it out. "It's adorable. See?"

Trini laughed.

"He's right, Jason," she said. "The dinosaur is cute."

Jason just grumbled as Tommy set the dinosaur in the basinet with Hope.

"You know," Jason said. "If you keep that up, I'm going to pick someone else."

"Pick someone else for what?" Tommy asked, raising an eyebrow. "You do realize I'm not going to be the only one spoiling her. And you can't keep all of us away forever."

"Just tell him, Jason," Trini said.

Tommy glanced between them. Jason just grinned.

"Tell me what?" Tommy said.

"We want you to be Hope's godfather," Jason finally said.

Looking at them in surprise, Tommy didn't answer right away.

"You are ok with that, right bro?" Jason asked.

"Yeah," Tommy said, grinning. "Of course."

Tommy walked into the house without knocking. He didn't bother since he knew Jason wasn't home and that Trini was probably busy with Hope. Walking inside, he could hear the baby crying again. He found Trini in the living room trying to soothe her daughter. She looked exhausted.

"Hey, Trini," Tommy said, setting his bags down by the couch. "Let me hold her for a minute."

Trini nodded, handing Hope to Tommy. He smiled, rocking her as he talked to Trini.

"Why don't you go take a nap?" he suggested. "You look completely exhausted."

"I can't," Trini said, shaking her head. "Jason is still at work and Hope won't go to sleep."

"I've got her," Tommy said. "You need to get some sleep."

"But you don't—" she started to protest.

"Trini," Tommy said. "I did help with the little kids at the orphanage all the time before I got adopted. Besides the other girls are going to be here later to visit. Jason will be home from work in an hour at most. Plus, my mom is only a few blocks away if I really need help. Go get some sleep. You need it."

She sighed, but nodded.

"Alright," Trini agreed. "But if you need me, come wake me up. Ok?"

"I promise," Tommy said.

Yawning, Trini headed up the stairs. Tommy walked around the living room, rocking Hope and talking softly about anything and everything. She finally quieted down, closing her eyes. By the time Jason walked in the door, Tommy was sitting in the recliner with Hope fast asleep on his chest, his hands holding her gently. Jason smiled, shaking his head.

"Where's Trini?" Jason asked, looking around.

"Shhh…" Tommy answered. "Trini's taking a nap upstairs. She was looking dead on her feet when I got here."

Jason sighed.

"Yeah, Hope didn't want to sleep at all last night," he said. "We were both up almost all night."

"Then why don't you go lay down too?" Tommy said. "I just got off the phone with Adam a little while ago. He and Tanya are planning on swinging by with a few of the others in about an hour. We'll be fine until then."

"You just don't want to put her down," Jason said.

Tommy grinned, looking down at Hope.

"Nope," he said. "Gotta take my turn while everyone else is gone. Once the rest of them arrive I won't have a chance."

"True," Jason said. "But alright. Wake me up when the others get here."

Tommy nodded as Jason headed up the stairs.

A couple of hours later the house was full of rangers. Hope hadn't been put down since they arrived. Someone was always holding her. Trini had woken up from her nap looking a lot better and was smiling and laughing with the other girls, sharing stories about Jason's first week as a dad. He kept glaring at her as he heard snatches of the conversation. Tommy laughed, clapping a hand on Jason's shoulder.

"Get used to it, bro," he said. "You're gonna mess things up. And she's bound to tell someone."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Jason muttered. "So what was that phone call about?"

Tommy sighed, shaking his head. He had just gotten off the phone and come back in the house.

"It was one of the interns again," he said. "With a problem I didn't need to hear about. I really wish she would go to Anton or Smitty first instead of me. At least they're still on the island."

"You've got more patience than I do," Jason said. "I would have yelled at her by now."

Tommy shrugged.

"So what's this I hear about you watching the baby?" Rocky interrupted, joining Jason and Tommy. "Trini says you had her for almost two hours all by yourself."

"She slept for most of it," Tommy said.

"Don't let him fool you," Jason said. "He's going to make a great dad someday."

Tommy rolled his eyes.

"The key word there is 'someday'," he said. "I need to find a girl first."

"You could always ask Hayley," Zach said, grinning.

Tommy glared at Zach.

"We're just friends, Zach," he said. "And I'm pretty sure that if I suggested anything else she might kill me."

Zach laughed.

"There's no dying allowed," Jason growled. "There have been enough close calls as is. And if you miss the wedding you're going to be in even bigger trouble."

"He's right," Adam agreed.

Tommy's phone started ringing again. He groaned, but answered it.

"Hello?" he sighed. "Yeah… Alright. I know… Yes. I've got it…"

"Is it that intern Sara again?" Jason grinned.

"No," Tommy said. "It's not Sara. It's Hayley."

He paused, sighing.

"No, Hayley," he protested. "I'm not comparing you to her… Yes, I know you find that comparison insulting. But—No, no you may not call her."

Tommy started walking toward the back door.

"Hayley!" he exclaimed. "Stop hacking into that! You promised, remember? You're not supposed to be hacking into any of my databases… I'm not kidding. If you don't stop I'm going to tell all of my coworkers, my friends, and your friends that you used to—"

The door cut off the rest of his threat as it shut behind him. Jason, Zach, Adam, and Rocky burst out laughing. Trini raised an eyebrow as she walked over, phone in hand.

"I just spoke to Kim," she said. "She's at the airport right now, and Billy's flight arrives within the hour. So who wants to go pick them up?"

The guys exchanged looks. Zach shrugged.

"I'll go," he said. "Be back in while."

The next morning, Zach wandered up from the basement yawning. Jason and Trini were in the kitchen eating breakfast with Kim, Kat, and Billy.

"Morning, sleepy head," Kim said.

Zach nodded, rubbing his eyes.

"Where's Tommy?" he asked, yawning again.

"You just walked right past him, dude," Jason said.

"Where?" Zach asked, looking around.

"Tommy is currently resting on the couch in the basement," Billy said. "I believe he has been down there for quite some time now."

"Oh," Zach said, frowning. "I guess I missed him… But why is he still asleep? He never sleeps this late."

"He was up half the night helping us with Hope," Trini said. "She was extremely fussy last night."

"Then why aren't you two still asleep?" Zach asked.

Jason and Trini shook their heads.

"Because Hope is awake," Trini answered. "And she was hungry and need a diaper change."

"Right," Zach said, sitting down at the table.

Downstairs, Tommy groaned, rolling over. His phone was ringing again. Looking at the time, he sighed. He'd only been sleeping for about three hours. But he picked up the phone anyways.

"Hello?" he answered, pausing. "What!"

Zach had just poured a bowl of cereal when the door to the basement burst open. Tommy rushed into the kitchen to grab his shoes from the mat by the back door. He was on the phone, still dressed in sweatpants and a t-shirt.

"Sara," he snapped. "I can't understand anything you're saying when you're crying. Please put someone else on the phone. Now."

There was pause.

"Thank goodness," Tommy said. "Smitty, what's going on? All I got from Sara was—Alright. Alright. Lock down the compound and the rest of the island. No one comes in. No one leaves. I'm on my way right now…"

The other rangers exchanged worried looks as Tommy rushed back out of the room. Standing up, they followed him into the living room. He was slinging his duffle bag over one shoulder along with his computer bag. His shoes were still in one hand while his phone was pressed between his ear and his shoulder.

"I have no idea either," he was saying. "Start searching the compound. Split into small groups and start searching from one end. Use a grid pattern and make sure no one is alone at any point. I will be there as soon as possible…Smitty. I'm hours away. I can't magically transport myself there. Just try and keep everyone under control until I can get there to help."

All of his things in hand, Tommy headed toward the front door.

"Tommy, what's going on?" Jason asked, grabbing Tommy's arm to stop him.

Tommy paused for a minute.

"I'm sorry, Jase," he said. "I've gotta go. Anton's missing."

"What?" Trini exclaimed.

Tommy just shook his head. He looked completely frazzled.

"I don't know what's going on," he said. "But I have to get back there. I'll call later."

Without another word he was out the door. The rangers looked at each other in shock.


	20. Missing!

"Do you think everything's alright on the island?" Trini asked, coming back down the stairs.

She had just put Hope to sleep. Jason, Zach, Kim, Kat, and Billy were all in the living room.

"I don't know," Jason said, shaking his head. "He still hasn't called. I hope they find Anton."

Trini sighed, sitting down on the couch next to Jason. He wrapped his arms around her and she leaned against his shoulder.

"Perhaps they are still searching and that is why he hasn't called," Billy said. "There is also the possibility that he has simply gone to bed. He was tired this morning."

"I hope Tommy's alright," Kat said.

Jason's phone started ringing and he jumped up to answer it.

"Hello?" he said, walking into the kitchen.

_"Hey, Jase," _Tommy said.

"Tommy!" Jason exclaimed. "Is everything alright? Did you find Anton?"

Tommy sighed.

_"No, not yet," _he answered. _"By the time I got here they were on their second sweep of the compound. There's no sign of him. The last time anyone remembers seeing him was when he was heading down to the lab. But there's nothing there to indicate where he might have gone."_

"So what are you going to do?" Jason asked.

_"The only thing we can do," _Tommy said. _"We're evacuating the island starting first thing in the morning. The whole island is on lockdown right now. But if something or someone is out there and responsible for his disappearance, I don't want anyone else getting caught."_

"And what about you?" Jason asked, pacing around the kitchen.

_"I'll be leaving, too," _said Tommy. _"Just not right away. One of my coworkers, Terrence Smith, and myself will be preparing our research for transport. We can't just leave it here. It's too important to just abandon. But once everything is taken care of I'll be home."_

"Just be careful," Jason said, shaking his head.

_"I'll do my best," _Tommy said. _"And I'll try and keep you updated as best I can. But I'm going to be pretty busy. Tell Adam and Tanya I'll do my best to be back for the wedding next week. Hopefully it will only take a couple of days to get things packed up."_

"I'll pass on the message," Jason said. "Get some sleep. We'll see you when you get home."

_"See you then," _Tommy said.

The line went dead and Jason stuck his phone back in his pocket. He headed back out into the living room to pass on the news to the others.

"Weren't you supposed to leave fifteen minutes ago?" Trini asked, poking her head out of the kitchen.

Jason was standing by the front door, looking at his watch. Billy and Zach were with him.

"Yes," he said. "But they're late. How is it that all of the girls are already here, but our ride still isn't?

"Because Rocky is driving," Aisha said, heading toward the living room. "That's why Tanya picked me up. You'd better hope he didn't forget you."

Jason sighed.

"He's got five more minutes," he muttered. "And then I start calling."

But there was a honk outside. Jason shook his head, but opened the door and headed outside. Zach and Billy followed. Laughing, Trini finished up in the kitchen and joined the other girls in the living room. The coffee table was covered in snacks and drinks. Aisha, Tanya, Kim, and Kat were sitting on the floor by the TV looking through movies.

"The men are officially gone," she said. "And Hope is sleeping for the moment. So now the bachelorette party can officially begin."

"So what do we want to watch first?" Kim asked, looking around.

"Let Tanya pick," Trini said, sitting down on the couch. "It's her party after all."

"How about a movie with cute guys?" Tanya suggested. "And the fewer shirts the better."

The other four laughed.

"Girl, that's all of them," Aisha said. "We didn't bring any other kind of movies."

Tanya closed her eyes and pointed.

"That one," she said.

Laughing, Kim grabbed the chosen movie and popped it in. The five women made themselves comfortable around the couch as the movies started.

"What took you so long?" Zach asked as he, Jason, and Billy climbed in the car.

"Sorry," Rocky said. "We were talking and I made a wrong turn. So we got a little turned around…"

Jason groaned, shaking his head. Zach just started laughing as Rocky pulled away from the house.

"Dude," he said. "You've lived in Angel Grove pretty much your whole life. How did you manage to get lost?"

"I wasn't paying attention…" Rocky said.

"Let's just get to the bowling alley before they give away our reservation," Jason said. "Unless you actually have a backup plan?"

Rocky shook his head and concentrated on driving.

Tommy sighed, staring at the pile of paperwork on the desk. Looking around the rest of the room, he shook his head. There was a ton of stuff to get done before he could leave the island again.

"Why did I volunteer for this part again?" he muttered to himself. "I hope Smitty is having better luck getting the rest of the employees prepared for evac in the morning."

Sighing again, Tommy sat down at Anton's desk and started sorting through the reports, putting the papers in boxes. He kept out anything related to their most recent work, wanting to go through it in more detail in the hopes that it would give them a clue about Anton's disappearance.

"So what are we watching next?" Trini asked, coming back down the stairs.

Hope and woken up and started crying, so Trini had gone to get her.

"I thought maybe we could change it up a little bit," Kim said, grinning.

She reached into her bag and pulled out some tapes.

"Guess what I have?" she said. "Competition tapes from high school!"

Aisha, Kat, Tanya, and Trini started laughing.

"Yep," Kim said, setting each video down as she spoke. "This one has Jason with no shirt. This one has Tommy. This one has Rocky."

"But none of them have Adam, do they?" Tanya asked.

"No," Kim said, shaking her head. "He didn't usually take his shirt off around us."

"Oh well," Tanya said.

"So which one first?" Aisha asked.

"So who's winning?" Adam asked.

They were on their third game of the night.

"Billy is," Jason answered. "He's smoking all of us."

Billy shrugged, finishing up his turn.

"It's all a matter of physics and geometry," Billy said. "You need to know where to hit the pins."

"Doesn't help if you can't hit the pins," Zach muttered. "I've got zeroes across the board. Why won't my ball stay out of the gutter?"

Jason, Adam, and Rocky laughed. All of them had been getting progressively worse at aiming as the evening went on, but Zach had started out bad with gutter ball after gutter ball.

"You're twisting too much," Billy said as Zach grabbed his ball. "Don't twist your wrist as you let go and the ball will move in a straight line."

Zach raised an eyebrow.

"I don't think that's gonna happen, Billy," he said. "That goes against the way I naturally move. But I'll give it a try."

Zach took his turn, concentrating on keep his wrist straight. The ball stayed on the lane until the very end where it veered off, only catching one pin.

"Yes!" Zach exclaimed. "I got one!"

"One isn't enough to catch the rest of us," Rocky laughed. "You're still going to lose."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Zach grumbled, grabbing the ball to finish up his turn.

Rubbing a hand across his face, Tommy yawned and put a lid on the last box. Turning to the computer, he sighed. They had already taken most of the important items out of the office to load onto the waiting boats. He knew his office had already been emptied. But he was determined to figure out what had happened to Anton, or at least find a clue. There was a knock on the door and he glanced up.

"What is it, Sara?" he asked.

"Ummm…I just wanted to tell you something," she said.

Tommy waited, but she just stood in the doorway.

"Sara?" he said, raising an eyebrow. "What did you need to tell me?"

"Oh! Before he disappeared, I saw Mr. Mercer heading toward the lab," she said. "I overheard him muttering something about the new project as he passed me in the hallway. Something about changing a sequence?"

Tommy frowned, looking down at the computer again.

"Did you tell Dr. Smith about this?" he asked, glancing back up at her.

Sara nodded.

"I did," she said. "But we were too busy searching for Mr. Mercer for him to check anything."

"Thank you, Sara," Tommy said. "I'll look into it. Go get yourself ready to go."

"Wanna watch another movie?" Kim asked, yawning.

The other four shook their heads.

"I can barely keep my eyes open," Aisha said. "I think it's time to call it a night."

"Same here," Tanya said. "But thank you all for the party."

They all stood up, stretching. Tanya and Aisha got their things together and headed for the front door.

"Drive safe," Trini said. "We'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye!" Tanya and Aisha chorused.

Once they were gone, Trini, Kat, and Kim started cleaning up some of the living room.

"So how do you think the guys' night went?" Kat said, grabbing half-eaten bowls up popcorn to take to the kitchen.

"I'll bet they're all going to have hangovers in the morning," Kim laughed.

"Probably," Trini agreed. "But Jason is not getting out of helping with the baby."

Laughing, the three quickly finished cleaning up and headed up the stairs to bed.

"Time to head home, guys," Jason said. "Bowling alley is closing up for the night."

Putting away their bowling balls and shoes, the guys headed for the car. Rocky frowned, searching his pockets.

"Where did I put my keys?" he muttered.

"I have them," Billy said, holding them up.

"Oh!" Rocky said. "Thanks, Billy."

He reached for the keys but Billy moved his hand, keeping the keys away from Rocky.

"You're not driving," Billy said. "You have imbibed too much alcohol to drive."

"Billy's right," Adam said. "And Tanya would kill me if we got in an accident."

"And Billy is the only one who wasn't drinking tonight," Zach added. "So he gets to take us home."

Grumbling, Rocky climbed into the passenger seat while Billy took the driver's seat. Jason, Adam, and Zach climbed in the back. They dropped off Adam first, and then Rocky.

"Wait a minute," Rocky said. "You can't keep my car."

"We'll get it back to you tomorrow," Jason said. "And it's not like you don't know where I live."

"Well, he did get lost on the way there," Zach laughed.

Rocky glared at him, which just made Zach laugh harder.

"Here are your house keys," Billy said, taking them off the keychain and handing them to Rocky.

Still glaring at Zach, Rocky took the keys and headed into the house. Billy drove the rest of them back to Jason's. The house was dark when they arrived.

"Guess the girls are all in bed," Jason said. "We'd better be quiet or we're going to be in serious trouble."

They trooped inside. Zach and Billy headed for the basement and Jason headed upstairs.

Shaking his head, Tommy strode through the compound heading back to Anton's office. He'd been called away before he could find anything in the programs because several important test pieces had gone missing.

"What else could possibly go wrong?" he muttered to himself.

"Dr. Oliver!" Sara called, hurrying over to him.

Tommy groaned quietly. She'd been following him around all night, hovering constantly.

"What is it, Sara?" he asked, not pausing.

She hurried to keep up with him.

"Is there anything I can help you with?" she asked. "I could pack some more boxes for you. Or get you coffee or something to eat."

Tommy stopped, running a hand through his hair.

"No, Sara," he said, shaking his head. "You need to finish getting yourself ready for the evacuation."

"But I'm all packed and ready to go," she said. "So I have plenty of time to help you before the boat leaves."

"Sara," Tommy said. "Go back with the other interns. I appreciate the offer, but there's nothing else you can do right now. Your boat leaves as soon as it's light and I don't want you to miss it. So please go wait with the others."

"Yes, Dr. Oliver," Sara sighed, turning and heading in the opposite direction.

Tommy watched her go for a moment to make sure she was actually leaving and then turned and continued back to the office.

The sounds of Hope crying woke Jason up. Light coming in through the window indicated that it was morning. He groaned, burying his face in his pillow.

"Trini," he muttered, reaching for her shoulder. "Trini, Hope is awake."

She just burrowed further into the blankets.

"It's your turn," she mumbled. "I had her all night."

Jason sighed. Sitting up, he groaned again and put a hand to his head.

"Oh man," he muttered. "My head is killing me."

But he climbed out of bed and headed toward Hope's room. Picking her up, he started rocking her as he walked over to the changing table.

"Come on, sweetheart," he murmured. "You're making daddy's headache worse. Time to stop crying."

Once he had changed her diaper, Jason picked Hope back up and headed down the stairs. She had stopped crying, but was still fussing a little.

"It's ok, Hope," Jason said, holding her close. "I know you're hungry. Just give daddy a moment to get something for his head."

Cradling her in one arm, Jason used his other hand to get a glass of water and some aspirin. After he took the medicine, he headed back up the stairs to his bedroom. Trini stretched, yawning, as he walked back into the room. Smiling, she sat up and leaned against the headboard. She held out her arms to take Hope from Jason.

"Go ahead and hop in the shower," she said. "I'll feed Hope and then you can watch her while I shower."

Nodding, Jason let Trini take the baby and headed for the bathroom.

Tommy yawned, rubbing hand across his face. He had been up all night in the lab looking through files and programs, trying to figure out what Anton had been working on when he disappeared. Hoping that it would provide a clue as to where he had gone. But he hadn't found anything that had been changed, which is what Sara thought she'd overheard. Then he paused. Frowning, Tommy paused and leaned closer to the computer screen.

"That's not right," he muttered. "Who changed that? Did Anton do that?"

He clicked open a few more screens. Shaking his head, Tommy kept muttering to himself.

"No," he said. "This isn't right at all. This isn't the way it's supposed to be."

Taking a deep breath, Tommy started digging further into the problem.

Rocky groaned, pulling his pillow over the top of his head. Aisha had turned the bedroom lights on and was playing music as she was getting ready for the day.

"Good morning, lazy bum," she said. "You plan on getting up anytime soon?"

"I'm not moving," Rocky muttered into the pillow.

It was suddenly yanked off his face. Aisha was staring down at him, one hand on her hip and the other holding the pillow. She was wearing her bathrobe, which meant she had just gotten out of the shower.

"You'd better get moving if you know what's good for you," she said. "It's almost noon. You've slept long enough."

Grumbling, Rocky tried to pull the blankets up over his head. But Aisha grabbed them and pulled them away. So Rocky grabbed her around the waist and pulled her onto the bed. She squeaked in surprise, landing on top of him. He grunted, but didn't let go.

"Rocky!" Aisha exclaimed. "This is not getting up."

"Not getting up," he said. "My head is pounding."

"Well that's your own fault," she pointed out, trying to pry his arms away. "You had too much to drink last night."

"Mmm hmm…" he mumbled in agreement.

Sighing, Aisha gave up on trying to pry his arms from around her waist. Looking around, her eyes fell on the glass of ice water she had brought into the bedroom. There was a bottle of aspirin sitting next to it. Stretching carefully, she dipped her fingers in the glass and grabbed an ice cube. Before Rocky knew what was happening, Aisha twisted around and dropped it on him.

"Ah!" Rocky exclaimed, jerking and letting go of Aisha.

Laughing, she moved out of reach as he scrambled for the ice cube.

"There's more where that came from if you don't get up," she said, shaking a finger at him. "I already brought you something for your head. So take it and get in the shower."

Glaring at her, Rocky took some aspirin and climbed out of bed. He reached to grab her again, but she just shoved him toward the bathroom.

"Go," she ordered. "Adam and Tanya will be here to pick us up in a half hour. We're meeting up at Jason's house."

Still grumbling, Rocky headed toward the bathroom.

Rubbing a hand across his forehead, Adam stared at his bowl of cereal. The alarm going off this morning had not been a welcome sound. Sighing, he took another bite and then a drink of coffee. He heard the door open and turned to see Tanya.

"Good morning, sweetheart," Tanya said. "Glad to see you up and moving."

"Figured I was safer this way," Adam said, smiling. "You ready for the rehearsal this afternoon?"

"Of course," Tanya said, sitting down at the table with him. "Oh, we're picking up Rocky and Aisha. I just got off the phone with her. She was going to wake up Rocky."

Adam shook his head.

"He's not going to enjoy that," he muttered.

"No, but Aisha will," Tanya laughed.

"Makes me glad I got myself up," Adam said. "Give me fifteen minutes and I'll be ready to go."

"Zach," Billy said. "Zach, it's time to wake up."

"Go 'way," Zach mumbled, rolling away from Billy.

Billy sighed, looking at his watch.

"Zach, it's noon," he said. "You need to wake up. The others will be here soon. We're having lunch and then the rehearsal dinner is later this evening."

Zach didn't answer, he just wrapped himself tighter in the blankets. Frowning, Billy reached down and tried to pull the blankets away, but Zach wouldn't let go. Hearing footsteps on the stairs, Billy let go and turned around. Kim and Kat were standing at the bottom of the stairs, watching.

"Need some help, Billy?" Kim asked.

"We would be happy to offer our assistance," Kat said.

"Be my guest," Billy grinned, stepping out of the way.

Kat and Kim advanced toward Zach. He had fallen asleep again and didn't know they were there. Nodding to each other, the two girls tackled him.

"Ah!" he yelled in surprise as they landed on him.

Laughing, the two girls started pulling away blankets and pillows. Zach fought back, hitting Kim with a pillow. As a pillow fight broke out, Billy just shook his head and went upstairs. A little while later, Kim and Kat joined Billy, Jason, and Trini in the kitchen. They were laughing still. Zach shuffled in behind them, grumbling.

"Is it safe to assume Zach lost the pillow fight?" Billy asked.

"By a long shot," Kim grinned.

"I think he regrets starting the fight," Kat added. "After all, he's the one with the hangover. Being pounded in the head with pillows cannot have helped."

Muttering under his breath, Zach grabbed the aspirin Jason had left on the counter.

"Might wanna get moving, Zach," Jason said, grinning. "The others will be here any minute now. So unless you want to walk to lunch…"

"I'm going," Zach said. "I'm going."

Tommy ducked around a corner, panting. He paused, trying to catch his breath. The compound was under attack. Another explosion shook the ground.

"I hope Smitty made it out ok," he muttered. "Because whoever's controlling the tyrannodrones means business."

Pounding footsteps caught his attention.

"Find him," a menacing voice hissed. "Whatever it takes."

As the footsteps headed in his direction, Tommy bolted. He had to get out of there. As things continued to explode, Tommy ran for his life. But every time he tried to head toward the docks, he got cut off. He finally got to an exit, leaping to safety as the building exploded behind him.

"Ah!" Tommy yelled, getting caught in the tail end of the explosion.

It sent him flying several yards away. He grunted as he landed, but leapt to his feet. The tyrannodrones surrounded him. Tommy took a defensive stance, ready to fight to get away. The drones attacked and Tommy fought back hard. Spinning and kicking, he held them off for a few moments. But their numbers overwhelmed him. Two of the tyrannodrones grabbed his arms, holding him while another kicked him in the chest. He went flying backward, slamming against a tree.

"Uh," Tommy grunted, falling to the ground.

As more explosions rocked the island, Tommy got to his feet and ran. The tyrranodrones chased after him. Tommy came to a sudden halt at the edge of the cliff. He looked down at the ocean far below.

"Not good," Tommy muttered.

He glanced behind him. The tyrranodrones were coming. He didn't have a choice. Taking a deep breath, Tommy leapt off the cliff into the water. Diving straight in, Tommy hit the water and started swimming. Behind him, the entire island exploded.

The phone was ringing. Jason groaned, rolling over to look at the clock.

"It's 2am," he muttered. "Who calls people at 2am?"

Sighing, he fumbled for his phone as Trini shifted next to him.

"Hello?" he said.

There was a pause as he listened.

"What?" he yelled, bolting upright in the bed.

Trini jerked awake, sitting up to stare at Jason. Hope, hearing Jason through the wall, woke up and started screaming.

"Jason!" Trini exclaimed, frowning.

He waved a hand at her, motioning for her to be quiet. She glared at him, but climbed out of bed and headed to Hope's room. Jason stood up, pacing as he talked.

"But what happened?" Jason asked. "…Alright… Yes, I understand… Just—Just keep me updated. Call if you hear anything new."

Hanging up the phone, Jason continued pacing. Trini came back into the bedroom, rocking Hope.

"What is going on, Jason?" Trini demanded.

Jason paused to look at Trini. Running his hands over his head, he took a shaky breath.

"Jason, what's wrong?" Trini asked, frowning.

"That was Mercer Industries on the phone," Jason said. "They were calling about Tommy. He's—he's missing…"

"What do you mean?" Trini exclaimed. "He's on an island. How far can he have gone? Or did something happen to him, like with Anton?"

Jason shook his head, pacing again.

"No, not like that," he said. "Trini, there was some kind of accident. They couldn't, or wouldn't, tell me much. But the island exploded."

"But—how?" Trini said shakily.

"I don't know," Jason said, continuing to pace. "But Tommy isn't on the list of evacuated employees. His last known location was on the island. They've declared him missing along with Anton and another man."

Trini paled, swaying where she stood. Jason saw her out of the corner of his eye and spun. Taking her shoulders, he guided her to the bed.

"Honey, sit down," he said. "We'll find him."

Nodding, Trini looked up at Jason with wide eyes.

"I'm going to go," Jason said. "They aren't sending out search parties until tomorrow, but we can't afford to wait."

Trini shook her head.

"Jason," she said. "You can't go. It's the middle of the night and you don't even know where the island is."

"But I can't just sit here!" Jason exclaimed. "Tommy could be d—he's probably hurt somewhere and no one is doing anything."

"I know," Trini said. "But you won't do him any good by taking off. Call Carter. Maybe Lightspeed can help."

Jason nodded.

"Fine," he sighed. "I'm going to go make some phone calls."

Without waiting for an answer, Jason strode out of the bedroom, already dialing the phone. Trini took a deep breath, holding Hope close.

"Is everything alright, Trini?" Kim asked, poking her head in the door. "We heard Jason yell a few minutes ago. And saw him take off down the hallway just now."

Trini shook her head, trying not to cry. Kim and Kat walked into the bedroom, standing by the door uncertainly. Taking a deep breath, Trini stood up.

"Can you two go get Billy and Zach?" she asked. "Something's happened to—I'll tell you all at once. Just go get them and meet me in the living room."

Frowning, the other two girls nodded and left the room.

Fumbling in the dark, Carter grabbed his phone and looked at the number. It wasn't one he recognized. Sighing, he answered anyways.

"Hello?" he answered.

_"Carter?"_ a familiar voice said. _"I'm sorry to bother you, but it's important."_

"Who is this?" Carter asked, frowning.

_"It's Jason Scott," _Jason answered.

"Jason?" Carter said, sitting up quickly. "What's the emergency?"

There was a pause.

_"Tommy's in trouble,"_ Jason finally said. _"The island he was working on—well, it exploded. He was on it at the time and now he's missing. Carter, they're going to wait until tomorrow to send out search parties."_

The moment Jason had said Tommy was in trouble Carter had leapt out of bed and started getting ready.

"I'm on my way to Aquabase," Carter said, grabbing his jacket and running out the door. "Where are we going?"

_"I don't know," _said Jason. _"It was some top secret project. Tommy never told us where it was."_

"Can you at least give me a general direction?" Carter asked, hopping in his jeep and starting it up. "I have to have a starting point of some kind."

_"Call Mercer Industries," _Jason said. _"They're the company funding the project. And if they won't tell you anything, call Hayley. I can give you her number. She's a computer genius and has probably already hacked their system trying to fin—"_

Jason paused.

_"Never mind," _Jason said. _"Hayley just sent me a message. It has the coordinates for the island's last known location. I'll pass them on."_

"Great," Carter said. "I'll keep you updated. But right now I need to call the rest of my team. It's gonna be a long night."

Sighing, Jason rubbed a hand across his face. He was sitting at the kitchen table. Trini was with the other four in the living room, telling them what he had told her. Picking the phone back up, Jason continued with phone calls.

"Someone is going to be in pain," Rocky muttered, rolling over and grabbing his phone.

Aisha grumbled and pulled the blanket up over her head.

"What do you want?" Rocky snapped. "Jason? Why in the world are you calli—"

He froze, nearly dropping the phone.

"Wait. What?" Rocky exclaimed. "When? Have you—Never mind. We'll be there as soon as we can."

Hanging up the phone, Rocky rolled back over and shook Aisha.

"Come on, honey," he said. "We've got to go."

Aisha sat up, rubbing her eyes as she looked at Rocky in surprise. He was never the first one up.

"What's the rush?" she asked. "It's two-thirty in the morning."

"It's Tommy," Rocky said, jumping out of bed and turning on the light.

Aisha frowned, turning and putting her feet on the floor.

"What happened now?" she asked. "Is he in the hospital again?"

"No," Rocky answered. "Apparently there was an explosion on the island where he worked. They don't know where he is."

Aisha's eyes widened.

"Is he—" she started to say, but couldn't finish the sentence.

"No one knows," Rocky said, opening the closet door. "But we're heading over to Jason's. Maybe he can tell us more when we get there."

"Then let's hurry," Aisha said.

"Hello?" Adam mumbled into the phone. "Jason? What time is it?"

Bolting upright on the couch, Adam swung his feet around and stood up.

"How can they not know for sure?" he exclaimed. "He was either there or he wasn't. Do they have search and rescue out there?"

Turning the light on, Adam grabbed his shirt off the back of the couch and pulled it on.

"Who cares if it's dark?" Adam muttered. "That's what spotlights are for… Alright. Oh. Don't bother calling Tanya, she's sleeping upstairs. I gave her my bed… She was over late while we worked on wedding stuff. Apparently we needed to glue ribbons to—You know what? Never mind. The point is she didn't want to drive home so I let her sleep in my bed while I took the couch… Yeah. I'll go wake her up and we'll be over in a little while."

Hanging up the phone, Adam paced back and forth in front of the couch for a moment, trying to keep from panicking. Taking a deep breath, he headed for his bedroom. Knocking softly, Adam opened the door and poked his head inside. Tanya was curled up in the middle of the bed, the blankets wrapped around her. Adam smiled faintly and walked over to the bed. He sat down on the edge and shook Tanya gently.

"Tanya," he said. "Tanya, you need to wake up."

"Adam?" she mumbled. "What's wrong?"

"It's about Tommy," Adam said.

Tanya sat up, frowning as she looked at Adam.

"What about him?" she asked hesitantly. "Is he alright?"

Adam sighed, shaking his head.

"I don't know," he said. "I just got off the phone with Jason. There was an explosion on the island. They don't know where he is."

Tanya gasped, putting a hand to her mouth.

"We need to go look for him," she said. "Are they putting together search parties?"

"Lightspeed is on their way," Adam said. "We're heading to Jason's house. Everyone is meeting up there. We'll decide what to do from there."

Tanya nodded and took a deep breath. Throwing back the covers, she climbed out of bed to go get dressed.

Kat started crying as Trini finished telling them what was going on. Kim just stared at Trini in complete shock while Billy and Zach shook their heads in disbelief.

"We've got to do something," Zach said. "There's no way I can just sit here when Tommy could be hurt or—"

"But what can we do?" Kim answered, sniffling. "He was somewhere in the middle of the ocean. We're helpless."

Zach shook his head, clenching his fists.

"We've done things that shouldn't have been possible before," he said. "We should be able to save him, just like when we were rangers. He always saved us and we always saved him. There's has to be a way."

"We're not rangers anymore," Billy said quietly. "The impossible rescues… They really are impossible now. We'll have to trust that someone else can save him this time."

Kat started crying harder. Billy, who was sitting next to her, put an arm around her shoulders. She turned, burying her face in his shoulder as she continued to cry.

"Jason is making some phone calls," Trini said. "We'll get everyone we can involved. We aren't just going to trust strangers to find him."


	21. You Know?

"D.E.C.A.," Andros said. "Is everything ready for takeoff?"

"Yes, Andros," D.E.C.A. answered. "Preparations are complete and everyone has boarded the ship."

Nodding, Andros started running the sequences for lift-off. As the megaship's engine fired up, TJ, Cassie, and Carlos entered the control room and took their seats. They strapped in, serious faces all around.

"We're all set, Andros," TJ said. "Ashley is with Kayla and Kaden. She said she'd join us after take-off."

"Then let's go," Andros said.

Once they had taken off, Andros left navigation to D.E.C.A. and the four rangers gathered in the briefing room. Ashley met them there and took a seat next to Andros.

"So what's the plan?" TJ asked.

"We'll have to play it by ear," Andros answered. "I'm hoping that by the time we get there they've already found him."

"So what did Hayley say happened?" Carlos asked.

Andros shook his head.

"She didn't know a lot," he said. "Just that the island exploded and that Tommy wasn't recorded anywhere as having evacuated. They believe he was on the island when the explosion occurred."

"How do we know he's even alive?" Cassie asked, wringing her hands. "What if—"

TJ put his hand over hers.

"We can't think like that, Cass," he said. "We've gotta believe he's ok."

She nodded.

"Andros," D.E.C.A. said. "There is a call for you. It is Jason Scott."

"Patch it in," Andros said.

There was a pause as D.E.C.A. connected the call into the briefing room.

_"Andros?" _Jason said.

"We're already on our way, Jason," Andros answered. "Hayley called me. But we're coming from KO-35, so it's going to take us a little while."

_"Alright," _Jason sighed. _"We'll keep you updated as best we can. Lightspeed is already setting up a search party. Mercer industries will be sending out their own once it's daylight."_

"We'll join the search as soon as we get there," Andros said. "But I'm hoping he's been found by the time we arrive."

_"So am I," _said Jason.

The phone call ended and there was silence for a moment.

"How are we going to find one person in the middle of the ocean?" Ashley finally said. "That's a huge area to search."

"I don't know," Andros said. "But we have to try."

Kat took the box of Kleenex from Billy and gave him a small smile.

"Thank you," she said softly.

They were all still sitting in the living room, waiting for Jason before they made any decisions. Kat had managed to stop crying, for the most part, but they were all still visibly shaken by the news. Zach was pacing around the room in circles.

"I've called everyone I could," Jason said, walking into the living room. "I even called Hayley. But her phone was busy and when I finally got through she just snapped at me. Said she knew and that she was busy. So she's doing everything she possibly can to find him."

"So then what now?" Zach asked. "Do we go look for him?"

Jason shook his head.

"Not tonight," he said. "As much as I hate to admit it, there's nothing we can do right now."

"Did Hayley tell you anything at all before she hung up?" Trini asked.

"No," said Jason. "But she did send me a message."

He pulled out his phone, bringing up the message.

"She said: **I know you're going to try something stupid, so you'll need this. These are the last known coordinates of the island and any search parties you organize should head there first and spread out. Get on it,**" Jason read. "I was able to pass on the coordinates to Carter, so Lightspeed is probably already on their way."

"Someone should go to the Olivers' house," Kat said. "This has to be difficult for them."

"I'll go," Zach said, stopping his pacing. "I can't just sit right now anyways."

"I'll accompany you," Billy said.

Jason nodded.

"Alright," he said. "You two go ahead. The others are on their way over here right now. We don't want to overwhelm the Olivers tonight, but the rest of us we'll stop by in the morning."

"Tell them not to worry about breakfast," Trini said. "We'll bring something."

Zach and Billy both headed down to the basement to get dressed. While they were downstairs, there was a knock on the door. Jason answered to find Rocky, Aisha, Adam, and Tanya. Letting them in, they all went back to the living room. Zach and Billy nodded in passing as they headed out the door.

"Where are they going?" Tanya asked.

"They're going over to the Olivers' house," Jason said.

She nodded, sitting down on the couch next to Kat, who was still sniffling.

"Have you heard anything else?" Adam asked.

Jason shook his head.

"Nothing," he said. "Lightspeed should be there any time now, though. So hopefully they'll have good news for us. Andros and the other space rangers are on their way back as well. But they're coming from KO-35."

"And what are we going to do?" Rocky asked. "Cause I'm not going to sit here and do nothing."

"Me either," Aisha said.

"We can't do anything until daylight," Trini said. "None of us have the resources."

The room was silent for a moment, and then Jason's phone started ringing. He quickly pulled it out to answer, striding toward the kitchen again.

"Hello?" he answered.

_"Jason, it's Carter," _Carter said. _"We've arrived on location."_

"Great!" Jason exclaimed. "Have you seen any sign of Tommy yet? You'll have to send out a ground crew to search the remnants of the island, since no one has done that yet either. And—"

_"Jason, wait," _Carter interrupted. _"Are you sure those were the correct coordinates?"_

"Yeah," Jason said, frowning. "Those are the coordinates Hayley gave me. Why?"

There was silence for a moment.

_"There's nothing here," _Carter finally answered. _"If this is where the island was, then it's completely gone. There's some debris in the water, but other than that there's no sign that anything was ever here."_

Jason nearly dropped the phone, sitting down heavily on one of the kitchen chairs.

"What?" he finally got out. "How?"

_"I don't know," _Carter said. _"But we'll start searching. If he's still here, we'll find him."_

After hanging up, Jason just sat in the kitchen for a moment, trying to make sense of the island's complete disappearance. Sighing, he finally stood up and walked back into the living room. He paused in the doorway. Trini was walking around the living room, rocking Hope and cooing to her softly. Kim, Kat, Aisha, and Tanya were all sitting on the couch, talking quietly. Every so often one of them reached for the box of Kleenex. Rocky and Adam had both taken to pacing around the room. Trini turned around, catching sight of Jason in the doorway. Seeing the look on his face, she paled.

"Jason, what happened?" she asked. "Did they find him? Is he—"

He started shaking his head. Walking into the living room, he wrapped his arms around Trini, hugging her and Hope.

"No," he said. "There's still no sigh of him. But—well, the island is gone."

"We know," Adam said, frowning. "There was an explosion."

"You don't understand," Jason said, letting go of Trini and turning to look at the others. "The island is gone. Completely gone. As in it no longer exists."

The girls gasped, a few of them choking back sobs. Rocky and Adam just stared at Jason in complete shock, freezing where they were.

"But, how is that even possible?" Kim asked. "Was the explosion really that big?"

"I don't know," Jason said, shaking his head. "But if the explosion is the reason the island is gone, then…"

He stopped, rubbing a hand over his face. None of them wanted to finish that sentence. For the rest of the night, the rangers stayed up planning. There wasn't a lot they could do, but they all felt the need to do something.

"The sun is coming up," Kat said quietly, several hours later. "It's morning."

Trini sighed, looking around. Jason was currently holding Hope. They were all sitting scattered around the living room.

"I'm going to go start breakfast," she said. "I'll make something we can take to the Olivers' house. I'm sure Mrs. Oliver isn't going to be up to cooking anything this morning."

The room was silent for a few minutes as the rangers watched the sunrise through the window, the shadows in the room shifting with the light.

"I'm supposed to pick up the tuxes in a few hours," Adam sighed after a while.

Tanya stifled a sob and Adam moved to sit next to her. He put his arms around her and she leaned into his shoulder.

"Adam," she said softly, looking up at him. "Maybe we should postpone… I don't know if—I just…"

"It's alright," he said. "I know what you mean. And maybe we should…"

"No," Jason said firmly. "You can't postpone your wedding. If Tommy heard you saying that he'd be furious. I know it's going to be hard with everything that's going on, but Tommy wouldn't want you stopping anything for him."

Adam and Tanya nodded.

"Anyways," Jason said. "We'd better get ready to go. It's going to be a long day."

A couple of hours later, the rangers parked in front of the Olivers' house. They all climbed out of the cars and the girls started handing covered dishes and pans of food to the three guys. Jason also ended up with the diaper bag while Trini carried Hope. Walking up to the door, Aisha knocked and they waited for an answer. Zach opened the door.

"Hey guys," he said. "Anything new?"

They just shook their heads. Sighing, he let them into the house. Jason, Rocky, and Adam went to set the food in the kitchen while the five girls followed Zach into the living room. Mr. and Mrs. Oliver were sitting on the couch. She was crying and they could see at least one empty box of Kleenex on the floor. Mr. Oliver was holding her as she cried. Billy was sitting in one of the chairs.

"And, remember, we've had search parties out since we got the news," Billy was saying.

Mr. Oliver nodded, but frowned.

"Yes, you said something about that earlier," he said. "But Mercer Industries said they couldn't search until morning. So who's out there?"

Billy shook his head.

"That's not important," he said. "Between all of us we have some connections. The important thing is that they've been searching for him for hours now. They'll call Jason with any updates."

The phone rang and Mrs. Oliver jerked up, diving for the phone.

"Tommy?" she said desperately.

She went silent for a moment, her eyes narrowing.

"How dare you call here right now!" she screamed into the phone. "You're wasting my time and tying up the phone line for more important calls! My son could be trying to call me right now and he can't get through because—"

Mr. Oliver reached over and took the phone out of her hands. Mrs. Oliver broke down crying again.

"I'm sorry about that," Mr. Oliver apologized. "Who is this?...Oh. I see… Goodbye."

"Who was that?" Trini asked, sitting down with Hope.

Mr. Oliver shook his head, putting his arms around his wife again.

"Just a salesperson," he said. "I feel a little sorry for them."

"Well, the good news is they won't call you again," Zach said.

Jason, Rocky, and Adam joined everyone else in the living room. The group found seats where they could.

"Have you heard anything new?" Mr. Oliver asked, looking at Jason.

"Well—Uh, actually—" Jason started to say.

But his phone started ringing. Leaping out of his seat, Jason hurried out of the room to answer the phone.

"Hello?" he said.

_"Jason, it's Wes," _came the reply.

"Wes?" Jason said, frowning. "What's going on?"

_"I just wanted to give you a heads up," _Wes answered. _"We're deploying the Silver Guardians. Hayley called last night and we started organizing. We can't do a whole lot in the water, but we're setting up teams on every beach and dock along the coast within a one hundred mile radius. I also have teams checking in with area hospitals, just in case someone picked him up and brought him in."_

Jason let out a sigh of relief.

"That's great," Jason said. "We spent all night trying to figure out how we were going to cover that much ground."

_"We've got it covered," _Wes said. _"Eric is currently mobilizing the teams to their locations. If we find anything at all one of us will give you a call."_

"Thanks, Wes," Jason said. "Some of us will probably head out to search later today."

_"Sounds good," _Wes said. _"Stay in touch."_

Jason hung up the phone and turned to head back into the living room. But Mr. Oliver was leaning against the wall watching him.

"Hey, Mr. Oliver," Jason said warily. "What can I do for you?"

"You know something else about Tommy, don't you?" Mr. Oliver said, straightening up.

Jason ran a hand over his head, trying to think of a way around the conversation. He really didn't want to reveal anything he shouldn't.

"Not exactly," Jason said evasively. "Just a basic check in from one of the search parties—"

"Jason," Mr. Oliver sighed. "I already know. About everything. I've known for years. Who do you think has helped cover for Tommy all this time? Especially in high school."

Jason frowned.

"What do you know?" he asked.

Glancing back toward the living room, Mr. Oliver grabbed Jason by the arm and pulled him into the kitchen, closing the door.

"I know about the power rangers," Mr. Oliver said.

Jason stared at him in shock. He shook himself, trying to recover.

"What are you talking about?" Jason said. "What do power rangers have to do with anything?"

Mr. Oliver raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms in front of him.

"Well, hopefully it has nothing to do with what's going on," Mr. Oliver said. "But I believe it has everything to do with the connections all of you have. You were the original team here in Angel Grove."

Jason looked around, trying to find a way to avoid sharing anything. But Mr. Oliver just continued to watch him. Sighing, Jason finally nodded.

"Yeah, we were," he said. "But how did you know?"

"By paying attention and watching Tommy," Mr. Oliver said. "Running out all the time, the lame excuses, the bruises from sparring accidents that happened all too frequently, and the fact that he developed an obsession for a new color around the time a new ranger or team appeared."

"Well," Jason said. "I guess someone was bound to figure it out eventually. Although I really didn't see it coming from you after all this time."

Mr. Oliver shrugged.

"Now what do you know that you're not saying," he said. "I really wanted to ask Billy earlier, but he was trying so hard not to reveal anything and I didn't want to shock him too much. What's really going on?"

"It really has nothing to do with the power rangers, Mr. Oliver," Jason said, trying to reassure him. "To be honest, none of us really know what happened."

"But you do have other rangers out looking for him, don't you?" Mr. Oliver asked.

Jason nodded. Taking a deep breath, he decided to just share.

"I'll tell you what I can," he said. "But there are certain things that I can't tell you, because they aren't my secrets to share."

"Understood," Mr. Oliver said. "I know this is an important secret. Tommy doesn't even know that I know. And I wasn't ever planning on telling him. But all I want to know now is what is going on with Tommy."

There was a pause as Jason tried to decide where to start.

"Lightspeed Rescue has been out since last night searching," Jason finally said. "They were on location when I talked to them earlier, but it didn't sound good..."

"And the phone call?" Mr. Oliver asked.

"Still no sign of Tommy," Jason said. "The phone call was from the Silver Guardians. They're out combing beaches and docks and checking with local hospitals."

Mr. Oliver blinked in surprise.

"You guys really do have some important connections, don't you?" he said. "Is there anything else I should know about?"

"Well, Hayley called the space rangers last night," Jason said. "As soon as they get here they'll start scanning. But they're coming from another planet, so they're still a ways away. And, of course, Hayley is doing everything she possibly can to track him down."

Mr. Oliver nodded.

"Alright," he said. "But we should probably get back in there."

"Wait," Jason said. "How much—How much do you actually know? About us. And Tommy."

"Well," Mr. Oliver said. "I know he's been at least three colors. And I've guessed at the colors the rest of you were. Original red ranger, right?"

"Yep," Jason said, nodding. "But did you know about him—well, when he was—"

"I know about him being evil," Mr. Oliver said. "How could I not notice his behavior? I'm assuming he was brainwashed or something to that effect."

"It was a spell," Jason said. "We broke it, though."

"That would explain it, then," Mr. Oliver said. "I finally convinced my wife it was just a rebellious stage after he went back to normal."

Jason frowned.

"Does Mrs. Oliver know about all of this?" he asked.

"No," Mr. Oliver said, shaking his head. "If she knew, she wouldn't ever let Tommy out of the house. I love her dearly and I'm always honest with her. But she can't know about this. As long as she doesn't ask me outright, I'll tell her nothing. But if she does…"

Jason nodded in understanding.

"That's kind of what I figured," Jason said. "And don't worry, we won't give anything away. Oh, before we go back in there. When Lightspeed called me last, they had some—well, not so good news."

"What was it?" Mr. Oliver asked.

Jason sighed, shaking his head.

"The entire island is gone," he said. "We don't know if it was the explosion or if something else is going on, but there is no sign that the island ever existed."

Mr. Oliver took a deep breath, rubbing a hand over his face as he shook his head.

"Never tell my wife any of this," he finally said. "She can't know anything."

Jason nodded and they headed back to the living room.


	22. Dead?

Later that evening, the rangers gathered back at Jason's house for a late dinner. They ate in silence, without any of the usual joking around that accompanied a ranger dinner. When they had all finished eating, Rocky, Aisha, Tanya, and Adam got ready to head home for the night.

"Hey guys," Jason said, looking around the room. "Before anyone leaves, there's something we all should know."

"What is it?" Adam asked, frowning.

Jason took a deep breath.

"Mr. Oliver knows," he said.

"Knows what?" Zach asked suspiciously.

"About the colors," Jason said. "About Tommy, the rangers. Us. He knows about everything."

All of the rangers looked at Jason in complete shock.

"Why would you tell him?" Kim finally exclaimed. "It's supposed to be a secret!"

"Revealing our secret is against the code," Billy said, frowning.

Jason shook his head, putting his hands up.

"I didn't tell him," Jason protested. "He figured it out years ago. He's known since we were in high school. Tommy doesn't even know he knows."

"Does Mrs. Oliver know?" Kat asked.

"No," Jason said, shaking his head. "And Mr. Oliver doesn't want her to know. So we still have to act as though nothing is different when she's around."

The others nodded. Saying their goodbyes, Rocky, Adam, Tanya, and Aisha headed out the door for the night.

Jason turned onto his street. As he approached the driveway, he frowned.

"Isn't that Carter's Jeep?" Trini said, pointing.

"Yeah," Jason said. "I noticed it, too. But I didn't get a call from him."

Trini paled. Pulling into the driveway, Jason parked and climbed out of the car. Zach pulled up behind him and the others all piled out of his car. Carter was sitting on the porch steps, waiting for them. As Trini got Hope out of the car, Jason strode up to Carter, the others close behind him.

"Carter!" Kim exclaimed. "Did you find him? Is he alright?"

He just sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"You should call the others," he said. "I've got some news, and it will be hard enough to say it once."

Kat gasped, nearly bursting into tears.

"Everyone head inside," Jason said. "I'll call the others. As soon as they're here, we'll hear what Carter has to say."

The rest of the original rangers walked slowly into the house, fear on all of their faces as Jason called the others.

A little while later they were all gathered in the living room again. Carter was pacing around in front of them as they all sat, waiting anxiously for him to speak. Taking a deep breath, Carter stopped to face them.

"What's going on?" Rocky asked. "Did you find Tommy?"

Carter shook his head.

"No, we didn't," he said. "I hate to have to tell you this, but—well, Captain Mitchell is calling off the search."

"What?" Zach exclaimed. "They can't do that!"

"I'm sorry," Carter said. "But it's been three days. He can't justify keeping us out there any longer. Even the Silver Guardians are pulling out. We'll keep patrols going through the area, but—I'm sorry, they're not looking to find anyone alive."

Kat burst into tears along with the other girls. Glaring at Carter, the guys shifted their seats so they could comfort the girls. Carter just stared at the floor, shaking his head.

"Thank you, Carter," Jason said, holding Trini as she cried into his shoulder. "I don't blame you, but right now probably isn't the best time for you to stick around. I'd leave if I were you. Quickly."

Nodding, Carter took his leave.

"They can't stop looking," Tanya sobbed. "He's supposed to be here. They have to find him."

Hugging her tighter, Adam took a deep breath.

"We aren't giving up," he said. "No one has found any proof that he's—that he's not coming back."

"Adam's right," Zach said. "The space rangers are still on their way. They can cover a huge area without a lot of effort. I'm sure they'll find him."

He was patting Kim on the back as she clutched his shirt, sobbing into his chest. Rocky nodded in agreement, pulling Aisha closer.

"He's not gone," Rocky said firmly. "Tommy will be back."

"Statistically, the chances of finding him at this point in time are almost nonexistent," Billy said, shaking his head. "So we shouldn't get our hopes up too high."

He had one arm around Kat's shoulders as she cried uncontrollably. The other four guys turned to glare at Billy. He put his free hand up.

"I'm just trying to be realistic," he said apologetically. "But if anyone were ever to beat the odds, it would be Tommy. He's never let the impossible get in the way before."

The next evening the original rangers were all gathered in Jason's living room again, trying to finish up last minute wedding preparations. But no one was getting much of anything done. They couldn't concentrate. Earlier that day, Jason had received a call from Andros letting him know that they were back and starting to search.

"How many programs are left?" Tanya asked, breaking the silence.

"Too many," Zach sighed, looking down at his pile. "Do they really all need a ribbon on them?"

No one answered and the room was silent again. Aisha, who had stepped out of the room several minutes before, came back in. Her face was pale and her eyes wide. Rocky looked up at her and frowned.

"Aisha," he said. "Is everything ok?"

She didn't answer. Instead, she walked over to the couch and sat down, staring at the phone in her hands. Rocky jumped up and hurried over to her, crouching down in front of her.

"Aisha, honey," said Rocky. "What's going on?"

Aisha still didn't say anything.

"Honey, please talk to me," Rocky said, starting to panic. "Say something. Anything."

She just stared at the phone. Rocky put his hands on her arms.

"Aisha, you're scaring me," he said, begging. "Please. Say something. Anything at all. Yell at me for doing something stupid. Just please talk to me."

"I—I'm," Aisha said, shaking her head as she looked up at Rocky. "I'm pregnant…"

Rocky's eyes went wide and he sat back with a thump, staring at Aisha.

"What?" he exclaimed in shock.

"I'm pregnant," she said again, starting to cry.

All of the other rangers were looking at the couple in surprise. Rocky didn't move, staring at his wife in complete shock, floundering for words.

"Congratulations," Trini finally got out, walking over to give Aisha a hug. "That's wonderful."

"I know," Aisha cried.

Trini handed Aisha a Kleenex as she kicked Rocky.

"Rocky!" Trini hissed. "Get up here!"

Jerking, Rocky stared at Trini. He finally shook himself off and climbed up off the floor. Sitting down next to Aisha, he wrapped his arms around her.

"It's great, honey," he said. "It really is. Please don't cry."

She just turned and buried her face in his chest. Rocky just looked down at her helplessly and continued talking, trying to reassure her. After a while, she finally stopped crying. Trini handed her the box of Kleenex so she could blow her nose.

"We're all really happy for you," Kim said. "You two are going to be wonderful parents."

Aisha nodded, smiling faintly as Rocky let out a sigh of relief. Then a bright flash of light lit the room. When it cleared, the rangers all looked around to see Andros, TJ, and Carlos standing on the far side of the room. Their faces were grim. Seeing them standing there, Aisha burst into tears again.

"It's Carter all over again!" she sobbed. "He's gone…"

Rocky just shook his head, pulling her close and looking around helplessly again. Andros sighed as the originals looked at him expectantly.

"Please tell me you have good news," Jason said.

"I'm sorry," Andros said, shaking his head. "We scanned the entire area, but—"

"There's no sign of him," TJ finished. "D.E.C.A. couldn't detect any human life anywhere in the vicinity."

The rest of the girls burst into tears again. Jason rubbed a hand across his face as he put his other arm around Trini.

"We're truly sorry," Carlos said.

"I wish we could have gotten here sooner," Andros added, guilt playing across his face. "But we were just too far away."

Jason nodded. The other guys were comforting the girls again.

"We understand," Jason said, his voice rough. "Thank you for trying."

Taking a deep breath, Andros asked D.E.C.A. to pick them up and the space rangers disappeared, leaving the originals to handle their grief.

Jason sighed, hanging up the phone and leaning back in the chair. He stared up at the kitchen ceiling for a moment. He finally got up and headed into the living room. It was the next morning. Aisha, Rocky, Adam, and Tanya had ended up staying the night after the news they had received from the space rangers. Everyone looked up as Jason walked back into the room.

"Alright," he said. "I just got off the phone with Mr. Oliver. I told him everything and he told Mrs. Oliver. She's not taking it well…"

"Are any of us?" Zach muttered.

"So what now?" Kim asked.

Jason shook his head, shrugging as he sat down next to Trini. He took Hope, kissing her on the forehead and holding her close.

"Maybe we should call Hayley," Kat suggested. "I mean, she shouldn't have to handle taking care of his things by herself."

The others nodded. Jason pulled his phone back out with one hand.

"I'll just put it on speaker," he said, dialing. "That way everyone can talk."

They all waited as the phone rang. After a few rings, Hayley finally picked up.

_"What do you want?" _she snapped. _"I'm busy."_

"Hey, Hayley," Jason said, taking a deep breath. "Did you get my messages?"

_"Yes," _Hayley said shortly. _"What about them?"_

"Well," Adam interjected. "We thought maybe you could use some help…"

_"Help with what?" _Hayley asked, sounding irritated.

Jason looked around at the group.

"With Tommy's stuff," he finally said. "The wedding is tomorrow and then we're doing a send off, but we thought that after that we could come over and help you pack up his things."

There was silence for a moment.

_"Not necessary," _Hayley finally growled. _"Because his things aren't getting packed up. Because he isn't gone."_

Jason sighed.

"Hayley—" he started to say.

_"No!" she snapped. "No one is touching anything. And if any of you come near this apartment I swear—well, you won't be happy!"_

She hung up. The rangers looked around at each other in surprise.

"I guess she's not taking it well either," Zach said.

Jason just shook his head, putting the phone away.

"Just a few more pins," Aisha said. "There, last curl in place."

The girls were all gathered in the dressing room finishing up preparations for the ceremony. Aisha had just finished with Tanya's hair. Tanya's mother was sitting in a chair watching the girls as they tried to stay upbeat.

"You look so beautiful!" Kat exclaimed as Tanya turned around.

Tanya blushed.

"Thank you," she said. "I just wish I had a bracelet to go with my necklace and earrings. I never did find one…"

"Oh!" Kim said. "I brought my jewelry box."

She hurried over to her bag and pulled it out. Setting it on the table, she started going through it.

"I've got everything in here," she said. "And I think I've got the perfect brace—"

Kim froze, staring down at the jewelry box.

"Kim?" Tanya said in concern.

Reaching slowly into the jewelry box, Kim pulled something out. She stared at it for a moment and then burst into tears.

"Kim?" Aisha exclaimed, hurrying over to her. "What's wrong?"

Kim turned around to face them, holding up two items as an explanation. One was a picture of Kim and Tommy together when they were in high school. The other was Tommy's arrowhead necklace. The other girls stared for a moment and then they were all crying. Tanya's mother quickly hopped up and pulled her daughter into a hug.

Zach hurried down the hallway. They didn't have a lot of time left before the ceremony started and they needed to know if the girls were ready. Stopping at the door, Zach knocked and then opened the door slowly in case he wasn't allowed in. But no one yelled at him to stay out. He stepped inside and looked around in surprise. All of the girls were crying. Zach backed out of the room and shut the door before heading back to the guys' dressing room.

"Are they ready to go?" Jason asked as Zach walked back in.

"I don't know," Zach said, shaking his head.

Jason frowned.

"Why not?" he said.

"I didn't ask them," Zach answered. "They were all crying."

"So you just left?" Adam exclaimed.

Zach shrugged, putting his hands up.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I can't handle all of them at one time."

Jason sighed, shaking his head.

"I'll be back," he said.

He disappeared out of the door. A little while later Jason returned.

"Ok," he said. "The tears are under control. But there will be a slight delay while they all fix their make-up."

"So why were they all crying?" Billy asked.

Jason sighed, holding up the picture and the arrowhead necklace.

"Kim found these in her jewelry box," he said.

The other four stared at him for a moment.

"We are men. Men don't cry," Rocky started muttering to himself.

Jason raised an eyebrow.

"Thank you, Rocky," he said.

Rocky just glowered at him. But Adam walked over and held out a hand. Jason gave him the arrowhead necklace.

"I think—" Adam started to say, looking at the necklace. "I wouldn't feel right without him here, in some way."

"Wear it," Jason said, agreeing. "It seems right to me."

Adam slipped the necklace on over his head, tucking it under his shirt.

"What's this?" Tanya asked softly as Adam spun her around the dance floor.

The reception had just begun and they were having their first dance as a married couple. Tanya's arms were around Adam's neck and she fingered the leather strap that was there. Pulling it out a little, she realized what it was and buried her face in his shoulder.

"Please don't cry," Adam said softly. "I just thought he should be here some how. Please, please don't cry."

"That's the sweetest thing I've ever seen," Tanya mumbled into his shoulder.

Adam couldn't help it. He started laughing as they danced.


	23. Wait? WHAT?

Muttering to herself, Hayley finished climbing the stairs to the apartment. Stopping in front of the door, she fumbled for her keys with full hands. She dropped them on the ground. Growling, she leaned over and snatched them off the floor. Straightening back up, she went to stick the key in the lock. The door moved, opening slightly, and Hayley froze.

"I could have sworn I shut and locked that this morning," she muttered. "Actually, I know I did."

Reaching into her purse, Hayley pulled out her pepper spray. Using her foot, she pushed the door open the rest of the way and strode into the apartment. Hayley froze, dropping everything in her hands.

"Tommy!" she yelled, scrambling forward. "You idiot. You idiot! You'd better not be dead or I'm going to kill you!"

Tommy was lying outstretched on the apartment floor. Just beyond his the reach of his hand the phone was laying on the floor. The skin on Tommy's face was red and burnt from days spent in the sun. His clothes were faded and caked with salt and sand and he had lost his shoes. The socks on his feet were torn, his feet cut and bloody from walking all the way to the apartment. Dropping onto the floor next to him, Hayley checked for a pulse as she pulled her phone out of her pocket to call 9-1-1. An operator picked up and Hayley started snapping answers as she rolled Tommy over. He was alive and breathing. It didn't take long for the ambulance to arrive. As they carried Tommy down the stairs on a stretcher, Hayley snatched her purse off the floor and kicked the other items into the apartment, shutting and locking the door behind her. As she rushed down the stairs to her car, she realized that Tommy had left bloody footprints all the way up the stairs.

"Stupid," she muttered. "How did I miss those going up the stairs?"

Still muttering under her breath, Hayley climbed into her car and took off after the ambulance. She pulled her phone back out and dialed as she drove.

"Mr. Oliver?" she said when the phone picked up. "It's Hayley. I found him."

"Jason," Trini sighed. "You have to eat something."

They were all sitting down eating dinner at the reception. Kat, Aisha, and Rocky, who were all part of the wedding party, were at the head table with Tanya and Adam. The rest of the rangers were all sitting together at a table close by. Jason was staring at his plate, pushing the food around.

"I'm not hungry," he said, shaking his head and dropping his fork on the plate.

"Starving yourself will not bring him back, Jason," Billy said quietly.

"I don't know about that," Justin muttered. "We haven't tried it yet."

Justin had arrived just before the ceremony started. Like the other rangers, he looked as though he hadn't slept in days. He'd been quiet most of the night, only speaking when spoken too. The news about Tommy had hit the youngest ranger hard.

"You need to eat, too," Trini said, turning to look at him.

"You're not my mother," Justin said, crossing his arms in front of him.

Trini raised an eyebrow, fixing her stare on him.

"Dude," Zach said, leaning over to Justin. "I wouldn't test her right now. She's not in the best mood."

Trini turned to glare at Zach. He immediately sat up and started shoveling food in his mouth.

"I'm eating," he said.

Sighing, Trini shook her head. Jason's phone started vibrating in his pocket and he pulled it out. Without looking at the caller id, he answered.

"Hello?" he said.

There was a pause and his eyes grew wide.

"What?" he exclaimed loudly.

"Jason!" Trini hissed. "People are staring."

He didn't acknowledge her.

"Where?" he continued. "I mean—how—when… Alright. I'm on my way."

Jason hung up the phone and leapt out of his seat as the others looked at him in confusion. Grabbing Trini by the hand, he hauled her out of her seat and started toward the door. He glanced back over his shoulder and called back to the other rangers.

"Hayley found him!" he yelled over all the other conversations in the room. "He's alive!"

Trini squeaked and stopped resisting as Jason pulled her toward the exit. The other rangers all jumped out of their seats except Kim. She gasped and started to faint, but Billy and Zach each grabbed an arm and pulled her up.

"We don't have time for that right now!" Zach exclaimed as they hauled her toward the door.

Justin bolted toward the door, whipping out his cell phone. He sped past Jason and Trini.

"Hayley, where is he?" they heard him asking as he ran out the door.

They just kept going. At the head table, Rocky had leapt out of his chair, knocking it over. He jumped around Adam and Tanya's seats and pulled Aisha out of hers.

"Let's go!" he said, practically carrying her away from the table.

Aisha grabbed Kat's wrist, pulling her with them. Adam and Tanya had both jumped out of their seats. Adam instinctively took a few steps toward the door and then froze, looking back at Tanya. They both stared around wide-eyed, not sure what to do. But Tanya's mother stood up, shooing them toward the door.

"Go!" she exclaimed, waving for them to leave. "Go on. We'll take care of things here. Tanya, your clothes are in the car."

Adam and Tanya didn't wait for anyone else to say something. They just bolted toward the door after the others. As Jason and Trini were running out into the parking lot, they heard Justin's car peeling out.

"Follow me!" Jason yelled to Rocky as they all came running out. "He's in LA!"

Zach and Billy climbed into the back of Jason's car, pulling Kim in with them. Rocky and Adam hopped in the front seats of the other vehicle, the three girls piling in the back. Slamming the door and starting the car, Jason threw the car into drive and peeled out. Rocky was right behind him.

"Trini," Jason said. "Call your mother. Let her know she has Hope for the night."

Trini turned to glare at him, the phone already to her ear.

"What do you think I'm doing?" she snapped.

"I'm sorry," Jason said. "I just wanted to make sure."

Trini didn't respond because she was talking on the phone. In the backseat, Kim was staring wide-eyed.

"He's alive?" she said. "He's really alive?"

"Yes," Jason said. "Hayley found him and he's alive."

"And he's alright?" she asked.

"I don't know," Jason said.

"But he's alive," Kim said.

"Yes," Jason snapped. "He's alive."

"And he's going to be ok?" she said.

"I don't know!" Jason exclaimed. "All I know is that he's alive and they're taking him to the hospital!"

Zach clapped a hand over Kim's mouth before she could say anything else.

"Don't ask any more questions," Zach muttered. "Jason really needs to focus on his driving right now."

In Rocky's car, there was a flurry of motion in the backseat once they were on the road. Kat and Aisha had found Tanya's bag of clothes and were getting ready to help her out of her wedding dress.

"You two keep your eyes forward," Aisha ordered as they started to undo the back of the dress.

"But she's my wife," Adam protested from the passenger seat.

"I don't care!" Aisha snapped. "Keep your eyes forward or you're not going to like the consequences."

Both Adam and Rocky kept their eyes glued to the road as Kat and Aisha helped Tanya out of her dress and into casual clothes. By the time they pulled up to the hospital, Tanya was dressed in comfortable clothes. Parking in the first open spots they found, all ten rangers booked it inside.

"Tommy Oliver?" Jason asked, running up to the front desk.

"Don't bother," he heard Justin say behind him. "They won't tell you anything."

Jason glanced over his shoulder. Justin was sitting in one of the waiting room chairs, his arms crossed in front of him and a disgruntled look on his face.

"But I'm one of his medical contacts," Jason said, frowning as he looked back at the nurse at the desk.

"I can't tell you anything either," she sighed. "Because there is nothing to tell yet. He's still in the emergency room."

Grumbling, the rangers moved away from the desk. The guys started pacing around the room while the five girls clustered together in the chairs.

"Man, Justin," Zach said, shaking his head. "Did you break every speed limit between Angel Grove and LA?"

"I stopped paying attention to speed limits when I left the parking lot," Justin said, shrugging.

Zach shook his head in disbelief.

"And yet you didn't get pulled over," he muttered, continuing to pace.

Several hours later the nurse sighed and looked over at the rangers. Several of the guys were still pacing around the waiting room in circles.

"Alright," she said, catching their attention. "That's it. They just moved your friend to a room. This is against the rules, but I'm going to send you up because if I have to watch you pace around my waiting room any longer I'm going to have to start slipping people valium. Four hours was long enough."

All of the rangers immediately clustered around the desk.

"So where is he?" Jason demanded.

"Room 493," the nurse sighed.

They ran for the elevators, cramming all eleven inside. Adam, who was wedged in the corner by the door, hit the button for the fourth floor.

"Zach!" Kim exclaimed. "Stop touching me!"

"I'm not doing anything!" he protested, sticking both hands up in the air.

The other five guys exchanged looks and immediately followed suit as Kim glared around the overly crowded elevator.

"Sorry, girl," Aisha apologized. "That was me."

"Oh," Kim said. "Sorry, Zach."

He just shrugged, keeping his hands up.

"Maybe cramming all of us in here was a bad idea," Rocky muttered.

"There was a second elevator," Billy pointed out.

"Yeah, but that would have involved pushing another button and waiting," Zach said.

The elevator stopped on the fourth floor and the doors opened. All eleven rangers spilled out, striding down the hall toward Tommy's room. They were all desperate to see for themselves that he was alive. As they approached the room, a nurse stepped out into the hallway and started to shut the door. Seeing them coming, she plastered herself against the wall in surprise.

"Are you supposed to be up here?" she squeaked as they pushed past her into the room.

"The nurse downstairs said we could come up," Zach said, pausing and pulling a twenty out of his pocket.

He handed the money to the surprised nurse.

"Look, just don't say anything, ok?" he said and followed the rest of the rangers inside.

The nurse shook her head, took a deep breath, and headed in the other direction.

"Oh, Tommy," Kim said in the room, looking at Tommy lying in the hospital bed.

Hayley and the Olivers were already in the room, sitting in chairs by the bed. Mr. and Mrs. Oliver had looked up in surprise when the rangers started piling in, but Hayley had just rolled her eyes. Tommy was still unconscious, hooked up to the monitors.

"How is he?" Trini asked.

"We're not sure," Mr. Oliver said, shaking his head. "The doctor said he's stable, but he's not out of danger."

"I still can't believe he's alive," Kat said softly, shaking her head.

The others nodded in agreement.

"Where did you find him, Hayley?" Adam asked.

"He was unconscious on the floor of our apartment," Hayley said, shaking her head. "I had just gotten home and he was lying on the floor."

The rangers exchanged looks.

"But how did he get all the way to your apartment?" Jason asked, frowning. "Your apartment isn't on the beach."

"Because he's an idiot," Hayley responded. "An idiot who doesn't have enough common sense to ask for help from the first person he sees."

"In Tommy's defense," Billy said, "he was probably delusional and hallucinating. His chart says he's suffering from malnutrition and severe dehydration. Those factors combined with constant exposure to the sun would likely have caused him to believe that he was in a better physical condition than he actually was. It's likely that he didn't feel any pain at all, only some exhaustion."

"He's still an idiot," Hayley muttered.

The room was quiet for a while as they relaxed a little. Seeing Tommy in person relieved a lot of their fears. A little while later the door opened and the doctor came in. He froze, looking around the room in surprise.

"Well," he said. "I was only expecting three or four people."

The rangers had spread out around the room, sitting anywhere they could find room.

"It's alright," Mr. Oliver said. "They're good friends."

"And they wouldn't leave even if we wanted them to," Hayley added, smirking.

The doctor nodded.

"Is he going to be alright?" Jason asked from the far side of the room.

"He's stable for now," the doctor said, shaking his head. "But he's not out of the woods yet. He's obviously severely sunburned. Along with the cuts on his feet, the sunburn has been treated. Both need only time to heal. They will cause him pain for quite some time, however, and he would need to stay off of his feet until they are completely healed."

Everyone in the room nodded, listening as the doctor spoke.

"He's also showing the beginning signs of malnourishment," the doctor continued. "It is apparent that he hasn't eaten in several days. But the biggest concern right now is the severe dehydration. In most cases it is dangerous, but in this case even more so. This level of dehydration often causes organs to begin shutting down, and in the light of his recent kidney transplant that puts him at an even higher risk."

Several of the girls gasped, hands going to their mouths.

"He's currently not showing any signs of anything shutting down," the doctor said. "But things can change suddenly. We will be constantly monitoring him. And the reason he is still unconscious is due to extreme exhaustion. He'll likely sleep for several days, even if everything goes well. But, as I said, only time will tell at this point. For the moment we've done everything we can."

"But what are all the bruises on his arms?" Billy asked.

The doctor sighed, shaking his head.

"We believe they're from the explosion," he answered. "The bruising covers thirty percent of his body. He's also got several broken ribs and a sprained knee."

The rangers frowned, exchanging glances.

"Some of the bruising is odd," the doctor continued. "But we have no other explanation for it. Unless he was in some kind of physical altercation before the explosion."

The doctor looked around expectantly, but no one said anything.

"Thank you, doctor," Mr. Oliver said.

Nodding, the doctor left the room. Mrs. Oliver's face was pale, but she wasn't crying as she continued to watch Tommy.

"I'm glad all of you came," Mrs. Oliver said. "It's good to see how much all of Tommy's friends care about him."

The rangers nodded distractedly. Most of them were still looking at Tommy, frowning as they studied the bruises. Mr. Oliver noticed and looked over at Jason, who nodded. Nodding back, Mr. Oliver stood and stretched before reaching for Mrs. Oliver's hand.

"Come on, honey," he said. "Let's go get some coffee."

"What?" Mrs. Oliver exclaimed as he pulled her up, looking over at Tommy. "But—"

"He'll be fine," Mr. Oliver said soothingly as he escorted her toward the door. "Tommy's not going anywhere with all twelve of them watching."

"He wouldn't be going anywhere anyways," Hayley snorted. "I have handcuffs."

Mrs. Oliver nodded and allowed herself to be escorted out. The rangers looked at Hayley in surprise.

"You have handcuffs?" Rocky said.

"I also have mace," Hayley said.

"So what do you do when someone attacks you then?" Zach asked. "Mace them and then handcuff 'em until the police show up."

Hayley shook her head.

"No," she answered. "I also have a flashlight to club them with."

"What?" Kim exclaimed.

"First I mace them," Hayley said. "Then a good hit with the flashlight to make sure they can't run away and I locked them up in my handcuffs."

"Remind me never to sneak up on you," Zach muttered, shaking his head.

Hayley smirked.

"Guys," Billy said. "Focus. Has anyone else noticed anything strange about the bruises? Or has anything sounded familiar?"

"Yeah," Jason nodded. "The bruising he described sounded like us after a big fight. We were always covering things up."

Billy nodded and leaned forward. He carefully pulled back the short sleeve of Tommy's hospital gown. The other stared in surprise.

"Are those handprints?" Kim exclaimed.

"Exactly," Billy said. "Two on each arm like someone, or something, was holding him."

Adam frowned, shaking his head.

"It's like he was fighting putties or cogs again," he said. "But I thought the island had nothing to do with power rangers."

"It didn't," Hayley said. "How could it? The project was for Mercer Industries. Besides, the last I heard they were still doing some kind of medical research. With dinosaur DNA, remember?"

"Maybe Tommy made a dinosaur!" Rocky exclaimed.

Everyone turned to glare at him. Rocky just shrugged.

"Anyways," Billy said, shaking his head. "Obviously something happened on that island before the explosion."

"Maybe someone jumped him," Zach suggested.

The rangers groaned. Hayley rolled her eyes.

"He was on an island, Zach," Trini sighed. "Who could have gotten there to jump him?"

"Besides that," Hayley said. "He's a fifth degree black belt. Tommy doesn't just get jumped. He's the kind of person muggers run screaming from."

"It was just a suggestion," Zach muttered.

The room was silent for a moment as the rangers tried to come up with an explanation for the bruises.

"Look," Jason said. "We may not know what happened right now, but we can worry about that when Tommy wakes up. Right now, let's focus on keeping him safe. If someone attacked him, they're going to be watching to make sure he didn't survive."

"Jason's right," Kat said. "And whoever it was might come back for him."

"Then we don't leave him alone," Adam said.

The rest of the rangers, and Hayley, nodded in agreement.

"We'll take turns," Jason said. "I know we all have things to do at home, but making sure Tommy is safe has to be a priority until he can defend himself. One of us needs to be around at all times, even if the Olivers are here."

Everyone nodded, acknowledging Jason. Even Hayley, who was glaring at the unconscious Tommy again.

"Speaking of the Olivers," Billy said. "Before they come back, has anyone called the other rangers to let them know Tommy's alive?"

The room was silent for a moment as everyone exchanged looks. Hayley shook her head when Jason looked at her. Nodding, Jason stood up and headed for the door.

"I'll be back," he said.

The room was silent as Carter took aim at the target. They were testing a new weapon for the first time. The rest of the team was standing back out of the way, watching. Just as Carter was squeezing the trigger his phone started ringing where he had left it on the table. He jerked in surprise, completely missing the target and blasting a hole in the ceiling.

"Crap," Carter muttered, lowering the weapon.

"Carter!" Dana exclaimed.

A box tipped, falling through the hole Carter had just created in the floor of storage room above them. It landed on the floor of the shooting range. Joel and Kelsey exchanged looks and ran over to see what it was. Grumbling, Carter set down the weapon and walked over to answer his phone.

"Hello?" he said shortly. "Jason?"

"Carter!" Joel yelled. "You killed the cookies! Don't you realize just how long it took to get Captain Mitchell to agree to order these?"

Carter sighed, rolling his eyes and putting his hand over his phone.

"They'll be fine!" he yelled back, turning to glare at Joel. "Just eat them—Never mind. Kelsey beat you to it."

The yellow ranger had a handful of cookies and was sticking it in her mouth.

"They taste really good warm!" she called.

Rolling his eyes, Carter moved his hand off the phone.

"Sorry about that, Jason," he said. "Now what were you saying?"

He paused, listening for a moment.

"What?" Carter exclaimed. "When?... Where did you say?... That's great. Thanks for the call. Keep us updated."

He hung up the phone, shaking his head in disbelief.

"What was that about?" Ryan asked.

Joel and Kelsey jogged over to join them, each munching on a cookie.

"Tommy's alive," Carter said.

Joel choked on his cookie and started coughing. Without missing a beat, Kelsey reached over and smacked him on the back. He nearly fell over, but caught himself and finished clearing his throat.

"Thanks," he gasped.

"You're welcome," Kelsey grinned.

"Now what was that about Tommy?" Joel asked.

"He's alive," Carter said again. "Hayley found him."

The Lightspeed rangers looked at each other in surprise.

"That's great," Chad said. "But how did we miss him?"

Carter shrugged.

"I have no idea," he said. "But right now I really don't care."

"Carter's right," Dana said. "Let's worry about that part later. Right now, let's just be glad that he's alive."

"Why do we always get stuck with the night shift?" Wes muttered, trying to get comfortable.

Eric and Wes were sitting in a car on a stakeout. They'd been there for several hours.

"I mean, he's sleeping right now," Wes continued. "Do we really need to watch his house while he's asleep?"

"Oh man up," Eric said, rolling his eyes. "It's not like you had anything better to do tonight."

"How do you know?" Wes said.

"Alright," said Eric, crossing his arms over his chest. "What were your plans before I took this assignment for us?"

"I had a pint of ice cream and a movie," Wes said.

Eric snorted, shaking his head.

"Great plan," he said.

"Well it's not like you had anything better planned," Wes grumbled, shifting in the seat again.

"You wanna bet?" Eric smirked. "I was going to meet up with Taylor tonight. Now that Wild Force is done, she has a lot of free time."

Wes glowered and started to respond, but the phone started ringing.

"I'm going to respond to that as soon as I'm off the phone," Wes muttered. "And if it's Taylor, I'm hanging up. Hello?"

He frowned.

"Jason?" he said. "What's going on?... What? Really?... Wait a minute. Where did you say she found him?"

Eric raised an eyebrow, looking over at Wes in confusion. Wes just shook his head, holding up a hand.

"How on earth did he get all the way there?" Wes exclaimed. "And without running into any of our patrols?... Alright. Yeah, thanks for calling. I've gotta talk to Eric anyways… Keep me updated. Bye."

Wes hung up the phone, shaking his head.

"Are you going to share?" Eric asked.

"Tommy's alive," Wes answered. "Hayley found him unconscious in their apartment earlier tonight."

"How did he get there?" Eric exclaimed.

"No idea," Wes said. "Somehow he managed to get past all of our patrols and walk all the way to his apartment in LA. He's in the hospital now."

Eric shook his head in disbelief.

"Well, the rookies are going to be happy to hear this," Wes mused. "They don't have to spend all night patrolling an empty beach anymore."

"Nah," Eric said, shaking his head. "One more night won't kill them."

Wes started laughing.

The megaship was quiet. Ashley was in the twins' room, watching them sleep. Carlos and TJ had disappeared onto the simu-deck the instead they had left earth's atmosphere and Cassie had locked herself in her room. Andros had stayed in the control room after they took off, staring out the window as they flew through space. A beeping noise caught his attention and he shook himself.

"Andros," D.E.C.A. said. "You have a call from Jason Scott."

Sighing, Andros nodded and put on an earpiece. If it was bad news he didn't want one of the others just overhearing it.

"Patch it through," he said.

_"Andros?"_ Jason said.

"Yes, Jason?" Andros answered. "What is i—"

_"Hayley found him!" _Jason interrupted. _"Tommy is alive!"_

Andros froze in shock.

"What?" he exclaimed.

_"Tommy's alive, Andros," _Jason repeated. _"He's in the hospital in stable condition right now."_

Andros sat down, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Just a minute, Jason," he said, muting the phone line. "D.E.C.A., please turn the ship around and call the others."

"Yes, Andros," D.E.C.A. answered.

Andros watched out the window as the megaship turned back around. A moment or two later, the other four rangers came running into the main control room.

"What is going on, man?" TJ said. "What's the emergency?"

Taking a deep breath, Andros turned to look at them. A smile broke across his face.

"We're going back to earth," he said. "Tommy is alive."

The four space rangers stared at their leader in shock for a moment.

"What?" TJ finally sputtered. "But—how?"

"I don't know," Andros said. "But Jason is on the phone right now."

"Andros!" Ashley exclaimed. "Put him on speaker!"

He nodded and un-muted the phone, turning it on speaker.

"Jason?" Andros said.

_"Yeah?" _Jason answered.

All of the space rangers started talking at once, each trying to make their question heard.

_"Quiet!" _Jason yelled after a moment.

The space rangers froze.

_"Now, three things," _Jason sighed. _"First, never put me on speaker again without warning, Andros."_

"Sorry," said Andros.

_"Second," _Jason continued. _"I can't answer four or five different questions at one time. I also couldn't understand a word any of you were saying, so let's try one at a time. Please. And thirdly, yes, Tommy is alive. We're at the hospital with him right now. He's stable for now and sleeping. And not likely to wake up for several days at least."_

"We're already on our way back," Andros said.

There was silence on the phone line for a moment.

_"Guys, you can't come visit him," _Jason said.

"But why?" Cassie said.

"Yeah," TJ echoed. "Why can't we come visit him? We're his friends, too."

_"Sorry," _Jason said. _"I didn't mean it like that. But you guys can't just walk into the hospital to visit him. You'd blow all of our covers' and probably give Mrs. Oliver a heart attack when she realizes Tommy was a power ranger. So no visiting until he's home."_

"We're not going to just sit around and wait," Ashley said. "We want to see Tommy."

Jason sighed.

_"I really am sorry, guys," _he said. _"But you just can't. None of us can afford to have our cover blown at this point. We'll keep you updated on his condition and as soon as he's out of the hospital we'll find a way to arrange a visit."_

"We understand," Andros sighed. "But we're still coming back."

_"Alright," _Jason said. _"If anything changes I'll call you right away."_

The line went dead.

"That's so not fair," Cassie said. "I mean, it's not like we want everyone to know who we are."

"But that's the way it is now, Cass," TJ said. "And we've got to live with it."

"I know," she muttered.

Carlos frowned thoughtfully.

"You know," he said. "Jason said we couldn't walk into the hospital. But we do have other ways to get around."

The other four turned to look at Carlos. He grinned.

Hayley sighed. Watching Tommy sleep wasn't the most entertaining way to spend the afternoon. The rangers had all spent the night in the hospital, but most of them had gone home in the morning. They would be back to take their turns sitting with Tommy. Right now the only ones at the hospital with her were Jason, Trini, and Zach. All three of them had gone to grab something to eat. Trini also had Hope with her now, Jason having gone to pick up the baby that morning.

"You're such an idiot," Hayley muttered at Tommy, shaking her head. "How do you manage to get yourself into these situations? Stupid idiotic moron."

Still muttering under her breath, Hayley kicked the leg of the bed.

"When you wake up," she continued. "I'm going to kill you for being so stupid."

Tommy didn't move. Hayley sighed again, leaning back in her chair. There was a bright flash of light and she jerked, nearly tipping the chair over as she scrambled to her feet. The light disappeared and Hayley blinked to clear her vision. Once she could see again, her gaze focused in on the small group of people standing on the far side of the room. She glared.

"What do you think you're doing!" she exclaimed, hurrying to close the door. "I thought Jason told you that you couldn't visit."

Andros shrugged.

"Jason said we couldn't walk into the hospital," Andros said. "So we transported in instead. No one saw us."

Hayley rolled her eyes, shaking her head.

"Oh yeah?" she said. "And if you had transported in here a half hour ago you would have caught the nurse giving Tommy a sponge bath."

The rangers' eyes went wide.

"Aw, man," TJ groaned. "I did not need that image in my head."

"I don't know," Cassie said from behind him, laughing. "I don't think I mind it."

"Cassie!" TJ exclaimed, spinning to look at her.

She just started laughing harder. Hayley rolled her eyes again.

"Would you guys be quiet?" she said. "The last thing we need is a nurse walking by and seeing the five of—seven? There're seven of you!"

Hayley had just caught a glimpse of Ashley and Cassie, who had been standing behind the three guys. Each of the girls was holding a baby in her arms. Ashley laughed.

"This is Kayla," she said, looking down at the child in her arms. "Cassie has Kaden."

Smiling, Hayley walked over and held out her arms.

"You know what?" she said. "You can be here all you want. Just give me a baby and I'll go sit in the corner."

The rangers laughed as Cassie handed Kaden to Hayley. Cooing to him, Hayley went and sat down in her chair again. Exchanging looks, the space rangers moved closer to Tommy's bed, not really sure what to do now that they were there. The door opened suddenly and the space rangers all froze. Jason walked into the room. He stopped, staring at them. Groaning, he quickly shut the door behind him.

"I thought I told you guys you couldn't come," he hissed, glaring at them. "What are you doing here?"

"Technically you told us we couldn't walk in," TJ corrected. "You said nothing about transporting directly into Tommy's room."

Jason groaned, shaking his head.

"Just give it up, Jason," Hayley said, glancing up from playing with Kaden. "They're already here. You might as well fill them in while they're in the room."

"Fill us in on what?" Carlos asked.

Jason sighed.

"Is something else wrong with Tommy?" Cassie asked. "He's still ok, isn't he?"

"He's still stable," Jason said. "But there's something I didn't tell you on the phone."

"What didn't you tell us, Jason?" Andros asked, frowning.

"We think someone, or something, is after Tommy," Jason answered after a moment. "He's covered in bruises that the explosion really doesn't explain. Like the bruises we used to get during bad fights. I even had a few from him when we were younger."

The space rangers exchanged concerned looks. Before they could say anything, though, the door opened again and Zach walked in. He looked around in surprise.

"Hey guys," he said. "Hayley! Did you steal a baby? Cause that is definitely not Hope. She's with Trini right now. I just saw her."

Hayley just raised an eyebrow.

"Kaden is my son, Zach," Andros said. "Hayley didn't steal anyone's baby."

"Oh," Zach said. "That actually makes a lot more sense."

Jason groaned again, shaking his head and reaching over to shut the door again.

"We're going to be in so much trouble," he muttered. "We're going to get caught. I just know it."

"Don't worry, Jason," Zach said. "There was no one else in the hallway when I came in. We should be fi—"

The door opened for the third time and everyone jumped, including Trini who had just walked in.

"Umm… What are you guys doing here?" she asked.

"We're trying to visit with Tommy," Ashley said. "But this whole thing is just making me nervous."

"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea," Cassie said.

"You think?" Jason said.

Trini glanced over her shoulder out the door.

"Just so you know," she said. "The nurse is heading this way."

The space rangers exchanged panicked glances.

"D.E.C.A.," Andros said. "Transport us out of here now!"

Ashley realized what he was doing too late to stop him. Hayley looked up in time to see the look of shock on the yellow ranger's face before they disappeared. Her own eyes wide, Hayley looked down at Kaden, who was still in her lap. As the door opened yet again, Jason and Zach tried to block the nurse's view of the baby. Trini quickly scooted out of the way, sitting down on the other side of the room with Hope. Walking into the room, the nurse raised an eyebrow at the three next to the bed. It was the same nurse as the night before who had nearly been run over by the rangers. She didn't see Kaden until she had finished checking on Tommy and was turning to leave.

"Where did that baby come from?" she asked, frowning. "Because that is not the child I've seen you with."

Hayley and Jason looked at each other and then back at the nurse. Zach just sighed and reached in his pocket.

"We didn't steal the baby," he said. "He belongs to a friend of ours. Ten bucks and you saw nothing."

He held out the bill to her. She took it, shaking her head.

"Whatever," she said as she walked toward the door. "But I am going to check the nursery and if there's a child missing…"

"Fair enough," Zach said, putting his hands up.

She left and they all breathed a sigh of relief. A moment later a flash of light lit the room again and Ashley appeared. She immediately rushed forward to claim Kaden from Hayley.

"I'm going to kill Andros," she muttered. "Thank you, Hayley."

Ashley disappeared again, this time with Kaden.

"That's it," Jason said. "We've really got to work on the whole blending in thing with them. They've gotten far too used to having their identities exposed."

"No kidding," Zach muttered. "That was a close call."

"Too close," Trini said. "At least they have a space ship to escape to. We're stuck on earth."

"Well, if they blow our cover then they had best make room for us," Jason said.

Zach laughed, shaking his head.


	24. Gone Again

Tommy sighed, shifting as he woke up. And then the pain hit. His whole body hurt.

"Ah…" he groaned. "Mmmm… Ouch…"

He shifted again, trying to decide what hurt more.

"Ahh…" he muttered, opening his eyes.

Blinking several times to clear his vision, Tommy moved his head slowly to look around.

"Tommy?" a voice said next to him.

He turned his head to look. Mr. Oliver was sitting in the chair next to the bed. He had leaned forward when Tommy started moving.

"Dad?" said Tommy. "Ow… Mmm… Did you get the license plate?"

Mr. Oliver frowned in confusion.

"What license plate?" he asked.

"Of the truck that hit me," Tommy groaned. "What is going on?"

"There wasn't a truck, son," Mr. Oliver said.

Tommy frowned.

"Then what—Oh, crap," he muttered as memories started coming back. "Did everyone get off?"

Mr. Oliver sighed, shaking his head.

"Most of the employees made it off the island before the explosion," he said.

"Most?" Tommy said. "Who, dad? Who didn't?"

"I'm sorry, Tommy," Mr. Oliver said. "But they never found Anton. And as far as anyone can tell, Terrence Smith never made it to the mainland. His last known location was on the island."

Tommy closed his eyes again, taking a deep breath as he clenched his fists.

"I was hoping he made it," Tommy sighed. "I thought he had enough of a head start…"

Mr. Oliver frowned.

"A head start from what?" he asked.

Tommy just shook his head. Opening his eyes, he looked back at his father.

"How long have I been here?" he asked, trying to change the subject.

"About six days," Mr. Oliver responded. "Tommy, what happened on the island?"

"Dad—" Tommy started to say.

"Listen, Tommy," Mr. Oliver sighed. "You can stop trying side step the conversation. I'm not going to get upset about it, not after everything that you've been through in the past."

Tommy raised an eyebrow.

"What are you talking about?" he asked. "The kidney failure?"

"Well, I guess that's part of it," Mr. Oliver said. "But that's not what I mean. Tommy, I know."

Tommy sighed, shaking his head.

"How much?" he asked reluctantly.

"Pretty much everything," Mr. Oliver answered. "I know about the whole green ranger part, including you being evil."

Tommy winced, imagining what his dad must have thought about that.

"And then you being the white ranger and then red," he continued. "I figured you didn't finish out that part though, because you left for college."

"You're right," Tommy said. "I passed on the power to—to a friend."

Mr. Oliver nodded. Tommy sighed.

"So how long have you known?" Tommy asked, then paused. "Wait a minute. Does mom know?"

His dad immediately shook his head.

"Your mother doesn't know anything," he said. "If she did, she'd never let you out of your room again."

"I know," Tommy said. "That's what I was afraid of. She'd lock me up for the rest of my life if she ever realized losing the ranger powers caused the kidney problems."

Mr. Oliver looked at Tommy in surprise, raising an eyebrow.

"What?" he said.

"Oh," Tommy said. "You didn't know about that…"

"Nope," Mr. Oliver said. "But you know what? I don't want to know. That way, if your mother ever asks, I know nothing."

Tommy started to laugh, but winced.

"Now," Mr. Oliver said, crossing his arms in front of him. "What happened on the island?"

Tommy shifted again, grimacing in pain.

"Mmm…" he muttered.

Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes for a moment.

"A few months ago," Tommy said, opening his eyes and looking at his father. "I found these stones. Well, gems. Not really sure what they'd actually be classified as. But the point is, well—hmmm…"

Tommy paused, trying to decide how to proceed. Mr. Oliver waited patiently.

"Someone is after the gems," he finally continued. "And if they get them, the results would be bad."

"How bad?" Mr. Oliver asked, frowning as he studied his son.

"How would you feel about being a dinosaur?" Tommy asked.

"Not on the top of my wish list," Mr. Oliver answered.

There was a pause, neither one speaking.

"So then what is your plan?" Mr. Oliver asked. "And how are we going to keep this from your mother?"

Tommy looked at his dad in surprise.

"You wouldn't be saying any of this if you didn't mean it," Mr. Oliver said. "And I know you aren't telling me everything. So what is your plan?"

"I need to distance myself," Tommy sighed. "I can't risk that the—people—chasing me might come after you. Maybe some international digs would keep me far enough away."

"Then you'd better start buying plane tickets," Mr. Oliver said. "Because your mother isn't going to like this one bit."

"I know," Tommy said. "But—"

Mr. Oliver held up a hand.

"Tommy, do what you need to do," he said. "I trust your judgment. And I'll take care of your mother. Now, she'll be back any moment. I'm going to have to let her smother you for a little while. But once she has some of it out of her system, I'll get her out of the room. That's going to be your only chance. Because once your friends get word, you won't have a chance."

Tommy nodded in agreement, shaking his head at the thought.

"Thanks, dad," Tommy said.

The room door opened and Mrs. Oliver walked in. Seeing Tommy awake, she froze.

"Hey, mom," Tommy said, smiling.

"Tommy!" she exclaimed, running forward and throwing her arms around him.

He grimaced, but didn't fight the hug. Shaking his head, Tommy hugged her back. When she showed no signs of letting go, Tommy cleared his throat.

"Umm… mom?" he said. "Ouch…"

"Oh!" Mrs. Oliver exclaimed. "I'm sorry… I—I just… Oh…"

"It's alright, mom," Tommy said. "Sorry I scared you like that."

Mrs. Oliver just smiled shaking her head.

"I'm just glad you're alive," she said. "There was a moment when we thought that—maybe you might be…"

Tommy reached over and took his mother's hand.

"But I'm not," he said. "And I'm going to be just fine."

She smiled, leaning over to hug him again. Gently this time. Sitting down next to the bed, she started talking and filling Tommy in on everything he had missed. Tommy listened quietly, throwing in a response every now and then. As Mrs. Oliver finally reached the present day, Mr. Oliver stood up and stretched, nodding at Tommy.

"Honey," he said, putting a hand on his wife's shoulder. "Why don't we go get some more comfortable clothes for Tommy to wear? Even if they want to keep him a few more days, I'm sure he'd like to get out of that hospital gown."

"But—" she started to protest, looking back at Tommy.

"I'm fine, mom," he said, smiling. "Go with dad. Get some fresh air."

She sighed.

"Alright," she said. "I guess we can run to your apartment and pick up some clothes."

"Umm… I don't have a key," Tommy muttered. "And I'm really not sure where it is…"

"That's alright," Mr. Oliver said. "We'll go check the stores. And worse comes to worse, we'll make a trip home. We're running out of clean clothes anyways."

Mrs. Oliver nodded reluctantly and leaned over to give Tommy another hug. This time it was him who didn't let go right away. She looked at him in surprise when she straightened up. Tommy just shrugged, grinning.

"Love you, mom," he said.

"I love you, too, sweetheart," she said. "We'll be back soon."

Tommy nodded. Mr. Oliver held the door open and Mrs. Oliver stepped out. Pausing, he looked back at Tommy and nodded. Tommy smiled.

"Call if you need anything," Mr. Oliver said.

"Don't worry, dad," Tommy answered. "I always do."

The door closed behind them. Tommy waited a few minutes to make sure they weren't coming right back. Once he was sure they were gone, Tommy sat up slowly, groaning with every movement.

"This is not going to be fun," he muttered. "But first things first. I can't have the others coming after me."

There was a pad of paper and a pen in the drawer of the side table. Balancing the notepad on his lap, Tommy started writing.

"They aren't going to like this," he sighed, staring down at the letter he was writing.

The door opened and Tommy jumped, quickly stuffing the letter under his pillows. Hayley walked in, a backpack hanging in one hand. Seeing Tommy sitting up, she paused.

"Oh, good," Tommy said, hoping she hadn't seen him hiding the letter. "You brought my bag. I need that."

He held out his hand to take it, but Hayley didn't move.

"Well 'hello' to you too," she said, raising an eyebrow.

"Sorry," Tommy sighed. "Hi, Hayley. Can I please have my bag now?"

Hayley shut the door, but stayed where she was.

"I don't know," she said. "Can I see whatever it is you just stuffed under your pillow?"

"It's nothing," Tommy said.

"Mmm hmm…" Hayley said, crossing her arms. "So where are your parents? They were supposed to stay here until I got back."

Tommy shrugged.

"Dad said something about finding me comfortable clothes," he answered.

"Well, then I guess it's a good thing I came back early," she said. "Now where were you heading?"

"Hayley," Tommy said. "Who says I was going anywhere?"

"Tommy," Hayley sighed. "You're awake. You're by yourself, which means you told your dad something that actually convinced him to get your mother out of here. And you're hiding something from me. My guess is a note of some kind because you wouldn't want to leave without any explanation at all."

Tommy sighed.

"Listen, Hayley," he said, reaching up to rub a hand across his face.

He winced, pulling his hand away.

"Mmm… ouch," he muttered. "Gotta remember the sunburn."

Hayley raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to continue.

"Alright," he said. "I am leaving. But it's not for the reasons you think."

"I'm listening," Hayley said, leaning back against the door.

Groaning, Tommy leaned forward, his elbows on his knees.

"Alright," he said. "I need to get out of here. Right away."

"Tommy, you can't just run away from your friends," Hayley sighed, shaking her head. "Does this have anything to do with the handprint-shaped bruises on your arms?"

"I'm not running away, Hayley," he said. "And I don't know for sure. But probably. Something happened on the island. I'm still not sure about everything myself. All I know is someone calling themselves Mesogog is after the gems I found. He wants to use them to bring back the dinosaur age. He's the reason the island blew up, and I'm pretty sure he did something to Anton. But Mesogog took our experiments and turned them against me. He took the technology we created and made monsters with it."

Sighing, Tommy ran a hand through his hair, wincing as he brushed burnt skin.

"I have no idea where he came from, but he's dangerous," Tommy continued. "And until he's gone, I can't risk putting anyone else in danger."

"Tommy," Hayley said, frowning. "Your friends have dealt with this kind of stuff before. Tell them and let them help you. They can handle it."

"But can their families?" Tommy asked, looking up at Hayley.

She was silent for a moment, not sure how to respond to that.

"It's not like it used to be, Hayley," he said. "It isn't just us against the bad guys anymore. Jason and Trini have Hope now. Ashley and Andros have the twins. And the others will be starting families of their own, too. If something happened to any of them, I'd never forgive myself for getting them involved."

Taking a deep breath, Tommy shook his head.

"No," he continued. "I can't let them get involved in this. I'll have to deal with it on my own."

Hayley sighed, but nodded. She knew he was right.

"But you're not dealing with it on your own," she said, straightening up. "I'm going with you."

"Hayley," Tommy sighed. "You can't come. I just told you, I'm not putting anyone else in danger."

"And I'm not giving you a choice," Hayley snapped. "You need help whether you want to admit it or not."

Tommy groaned, shaking his head.

"Besides," Hayley continued. "Just how do you plan on getting out of here? You're injured and have no car. Plus, one of your friends is always around. You're lucky none of them has walked in yet."

"That's why I have to get out of here now," Tommy said. "Can I please have my backpack?"

Hayley didn't budge.

"Hayley, come on," Tommy groaned. "I'm not going to discuss this. You aren't coming."

"Oh, this isn't a discussion," Hayley said. "I'm coming, or you're staying. Those are your options. You won't get far without me anyways. And on top of that, Rocky should be waking up in about—twenty minutes."

She glanced down at her watch and nodded to confirm the estimate.

"And once he gets up here," she said. "You won't be getting away from your friends anytime soon. They're already suspicious because of the bruises. That's why they set up the guard rotation. The only reason Rocky isn't in here right now is because he has to work in the morning and we promised to keep an eye on you."

Tommy sighed, closing his eyes for a moment.

"What's it gonna be?" Hayley asked. "You're running out of time."

"Fine," he finally said, opening his eyes. "You can come."

Hayley nodded, smiling in satisfaction.

"Now, can I have my backpack?" Tommy asked. "I'd like to put some actual clothes on."

She started to walk over with it and then stopped.

"You promise you aren't going to try and take off without me?" she asked, keeping the bag out of reach.

"Hayley," Tommy sighed. "I'm no—"

She glared at him.

"Alright," he said, putting his hands up. "I promise I won't take off without you. You're right anyways. I wouldn't make it far on my own in this condition. Now can I please have the bag?"

Hayley handed him the backpack and headed back toward the door, her purse in hand.

"You get dressed," she said. "I'll be right back."

"Where are you going?" he asked, pulling clothes out of the bag.

"I'm going to stall Rocky," she answered, leaving the room.

When Hayley came back, Tommy was dressed in sweats and a long sleeved-green shirt. He had just finished writing and was folding up the letter. Reaching into his bag, he pulled out a larger envelope and stuck the letter inside.

"Rocky is all taken care of," Hayley said when he looked up.

"What exactly did you do to him?" Tommy asked, frowning.

Hayley shrugged.

"Handcuffed him to the steering wheel of his car," she said. "He was napping in the front seat. I left his phone for him just out of reach. He'll get to it eventually, but it'll buy us some time to get home and packed up."

"Alright," Tommy said, standing up. "Please tell me you have the key."

"What?" Hayley said. "Oh! Right. It's right here."

Tommy rolled his eyes and sighed.

"We'll need to leave this somewhere they can find it," he said, holding up the envelope. "The key, too."

"Just leave it at the front desk," she said. "You know they'll come inside to check your room. And the first thing they'll do when they see the empty room is see when you left. But I will drop the key off in Rocky's car. Possibly in the trunk where he can't possibly get to it."

"Just make sure you tell them where it is," Tommy sighed, shaking his head. "Leave a note or something."

She smirked, but nodded.

"Now let's get out of here," Tommy said, standing up carefully and grabbing his bag.

He winced as he put his weight on his feet, which were still healing. Not to mention his knee. Hayley sighed, shaking her head.

"Let's get you down to the front desk," she said. "And while you're arguing with them I'll drop the key off and bring my car around front. But the first question is, would you like to walk down or shall I get you a wheelchair?"

The incessant beeping of the alarm clock on his phone finally woke Rocky up. Groaning, he reached for it without opening his eyes. But his arm stopped suddenly with a painful jerk, and at the same time his other arm moved up. Opening his eyes in surprise. Blinking to clear his vision, Rocky stared in confusion. He was handcuffed, the chain looped through part of the steering wheel.

"What on earth?" he muttered, looking around.

But none of the other rangers were there to laugh at him, which was unusual. Generally if someone pulled a prank at least one other person stayed nearby to see the reaction. Frowning, Rocky looked for his phone, which was still beeping. While he was looking, he kept tugging at the handcuffs, hoping they'd release on their own.

"Aww… Really?" Rocky groaned, finally spotting his cell phone.

It was sitting on the passenger seat. Grumbling, he tried to reach for it again. But the cuffs didn't allow even close to enough movement for him to reach. Next he tried leaning over to pick up the phone in his mouth, but he couldn't lean over far enough. Not without pulling an arm out of its socket. Muttering under his breath, he sat back up. That's when he noticed the note taped to the window in front of him. Frowning, he read the note.

_ Good morning, Rocky. I saw you sleeping in the car. So cute! But it was just too hard to resist. By the way, the key is in the trunk. Your phone is in the passenger seat. Good luck!_

_ Love, Hayley_

"I know the phone is in the passenger seat," he muttered. "I can't shut the thing up."

Continuing to grumble to himself, Rocky set to work on getting a hold of his cell phone.

"Hayley," Tommy said, shaking his head. "How much are you planning on taking with you?"

They were at the apartment packing up their things, trying to get out before the rangers figured out what was going on. It had been about a half hour since they'd left the hospital. Tommy's things were already packed and Hayley had taken his two bags out to the car. Now they were packing Hayley's things. She kept coming in and out of her bedroom, dumping more things on the couch next to Tommy for him to put in her suitcases. Walking back out, Hayley dropped another pile of clothes next to him.

"I'm just trying to be prepared," she said. "We don't even know for sure where we're going yet. Or how long we're gonna be there. I want to make sure I have everything I could possibly need."

Tommy sighed.

"I thought we had decided that on the way home," he said. "You've already started work on your internet café and none of the rangers know about it. Plus, they're going to assume I've gotten as far away from any of them as I can."

"Just pack," Hayley said. "We need to move quickly. I don't know if Rocky has gotten his phone yet, but the last thing we need is for one of them to call Andros. If they space rangers get wind of it, we're not getting anywhere."

Rolling his eyes, Tommy went back to packing her clothes into the bags.

"I really don't see any of them doing that," he said.

"Well it's the first thing I think of," Hayley said, her hands on her hips as she glared at him.

"Yeah, well your IQ is higher than the rest of ours," Tommy said, glancing up at her. "So it's kind of expected."

Hayley rolled her eyes and turned to go back in her room again. But she paused, remembering something.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, turning back around. "I got to see the twins! They're adorable."

"Awww… I missed them?" Tommy said.

"You were out," Hayley laughed. "But I think Ashley just about killed Andros."

Tommy raised an eyebrow and then shook his head.

"You'll have to tell me that one later," he said.

"Oh, and Aisha is pregnant," Hayley said as she walked back into her bedroom.

"Wait, what?" Tommy exclaimed, whipping his head around. "Hayley?"

She came out a moment later with a box of cords and computer supplies.

"Aisha is pregnant," she said again. "She just found out last week while you were still missing. They told me earlier this week just before Tanya and Adam left on their honeymoon."

"I'm still surprised they actually went," Tommy said, shaking his head.

"Jason made them go," she said, shrugging. "Said he'd call if anything else happened to you. They're actually supposed to be flying back in late tonight."

"Well, they're not going to be happy," Tommy said, eyeing the new pile Hayley had just started. "Hayley, you can't take all of your computer equipment. It won't fit."

"None of them will be," Hayley said. "And I can try."

Tommy sighed as she scooted back out of the room for more.

Rocky sighed in relief, grabbing his phone in his hands. It had taken a lot of time, and patience, but he had finally managed to get it. He had kicked his shoes off and, maneuvering as best he could, managed to pick up the phone with his feet. Losing it a few times, he finally managed to get the phone close enough to his hands to grab it.

"Finally," he muttered. "Now if only I can get this thing open…"

Holding the phone in his hand, Rocky used his mouth to open his phone. Struggling not to drop it, he managed to dial Jason's number and turn it on speaker. Impatiently, Rocky waited for an answer.

_"Hello?" _Jason said, answering the phone.

"Finally," Rocky said. "Jason, I need you to get back here right away."

_"Did something happen to Tommy?" _Jason exclaimed.

"No," Rocky snapped. "They pulled a prank on me. I left Tommy with his parents and Hayley and came out to my car to take a short nap. When I woke up, I was handcuffed to the steering wheel."

There was silence on the other end of the phone.

"Jason?" Rocky said, frowning.

_"Sorry, man," _Jason said, snorting as he tried not to laugh. _"But how did they manage to handcuff you without waking you up?"_

"I don't know," Rocky growled. "It was Hayley. She left a note. And put my phone in the passenger seat!"

_"So what do you want me to do?" _Jason asked.

"Get over here!" Rocky practically yelled into the phone. "I've been stuck for almost an hour, and I don't think anyone is coming out to get me. She left the key in the trunk."

_"Alright," _Jason sighed. _"We have to pick up Tanya and Adam from the airport tonight anyways. But it's going to be at least an hour before we get there."_

"Yeah, I know," Rocky grumbled. "Oh. Jason? Please don't tell anyone else. They'd never let me live it down."

Jason was silent for a moment, and then he burst out laughing. Rocky heard more laughter in the background and groaned.

"I was on speaker, wasn't I?" he mumbled.

_"Sorry, man," _Jason laughed. _"I was in the middle of helping with dinner, so I just put the phone on the counter."_

Rocky groaned again.

"Just get over here," he muttered. "I'll be here… Waiting…"

Laughing, Jason hung up. Sighing, Rocky tried to make himself comfortable.

"Is that everything?" Tommy sighed, looking around the apartment.

They had finally finished packing up Hayley's stuff. Somehow, she had managed to fit all of her computer equipment in the car along with all of their essentials. Most of which belonged to Hayley. She had done the packing herself, making Tommy sit down and rest.

"I hope so," Hayley said, standing in the doorway.

Nodding, Tommy stood up. But he didn't walk to the door. Instead, he walked over to the TV stand and shifted the TV out of the way. There was a small square piece of drywall that looked like an access panel hidden behind it. Hayley frowned, watching him pull the stand drawer open and pull out a screwdriver.

"What are you doing?" she asked, shaking her head.

"Just a minute," he said, not turning around.

Taking the screwdriver, Tommy took the panel off the wall. Behind the panel was a small space with a lockbox inside. Hayley walked over to see what he was doing and raised an eyebrow. He reached inside to unlock a small combination lock, which released the lockbox from the wall. On the front of the box was a fingerprint scanner.

"What is that?" Hayley asked, crossing her arms in front of her.

Tommy replaced the panel and turned around, holding the box tightly.

"A lockbox," he said.

She rolled her eyes.

"I know that," she said. "What is in there that you've hidden it like that?"

"Well, my old morphers for one," Tommy said. "All of them. And the gems I told you about. Remember? The whole reason we're leaving? Did you really think I wouldn't have them carefully hidden?"

Hayley shrugged.

"I certainly didn't think you'd have them in the apartment," she said. "But I would never have found that there."

"That's the point," Tommy said, limping toward the door. "It's one of the first things I do every time I move somewhere. Some things weren't meant to be left for others to find."

"But what if they did find it?" Hayley asked, following him.

She shut and locked the door behind them and they headed down the stairs.

"Well," he said. "Even if they managed to get the box out of the hiding place, they'd need me to open the box. Living fingerprint locks. And once its open I have access to my old morphers, so whoever it is will be in trouble anyways."

"Good point," Hayley said.

They stopped by the landlord's room to drop off the check for their last few months of rent and then headed to the car.

Rocky was leaning forward with his head on the steering wheel when a knock on the window made him jump. Looking around in surprise, he saw Jason standing outside the car. Laughing, Jason pulled open the door.

"Need some help?" he asked.

Rocky just glared, which made Jason laugh harder. He leaned over and pulled the lever to pop the trunk. He disappeared, but Aisha took his place.

"Hey, honey," she smirked. "You really need to work on sleeping lighter."

"Yeah, dude," Zach laughed, poking his head in. "What kind of ranger let's someone sneak up on them like that?"

"I was asleep!" Rocky exclaimed. "And how was I supposed to know Hayley would decide to do this?"

Aisha just rolled her eyes. Jason came back with the key in hand. Zach and Aisha stepped out of the way and Rocky caught a glimpse of Billy standing off to the side. He was laughing and shaking his head. Reaching inside, Jason unlocked the cuffs, freeing Rocky. He sighed in relief, rubbing his wrists.

"I'm gonna get her for this," Rocky grumbled, climbing out of the car.

"Starting a prank war with Hayley would not be advisable," Billy said, shaking his head. "She will not hesitate to retaliate in any way she sees fit should you try getting revenge."

"As long as he's the only one in the line of fire it might be entertaining," Zach grinned. "So I say we let him."

Rocky growled, but Zach just started laughing again. Rolling his eyes, Jason shut the car door.

"Come on," he said. "Let's go check on Tommy before I have to go pick up Adam and Tanya."

Still laughing and poking fun at Rocky, the five rangers headed inside the hospital and up to Tommy's room. Zach opened the door and took a step inside, freezing in surprise.

"Umm… Do we have the right room?" he asked.

"Room 493 is correct," Billy said.

"Then we have a problem," Zach said.

The other rangers frowned, pushing Zach further into the room. They all froze in shock to see the empty room. It had been cleaned, leaving no sign that Tommy had been there.

"Rocky!" Jason snapped, spinning to face the other ranger. "What happened? Where's Tommy?"

"I don't know," Rocky said, putting his hands up and backing away. "He was still sleeping when I went to take a nap. The Olivers and Hayley were here."

"You don't think he—that he's—" Aisha stammered, her eyes wide.

"No," Jason said. "Someone would have called us if he had died. Something else is going on."

"Perhaps we should check at the desk," Billy suggested. "If he was checked out, there will be a record."

Nodding, Jason led the way back down to the lobby. While the others waited he went up to the desk to speak to the nurse there.

"Excuse me," he said. "Can you tell me where Tommy Oliver is?"

The nurse nodded and started looking through her files. Finding the correct one, she frowned.

"Are you Jason Scott?" she asked, looking up at him.

"Yes," Jason answered.

"It looks like he checked himself out about three hours ago," the nurse said, looking up. "And he left this letter for you."

Jason took a deep breath and forced himself to smile at the nurse as he took the letter.

"Thank you," he said through gritted teeth.

Turning away, his look turned grim and he stalked back over to the others.

"He checked himself out almost three hours ago," Jason said. "Tommy is running. The good news is he left a letter this time."

Shaking his head, Jason turned and headed out the door. Frowning, the other rangers followed him.

"Jason, where are you going?" Aisha asked.

"To see if I can catch him before he gets away," Jason growled, not slowing down. "He can't be moving too quickly with his injuries."

He pulled out his phone as he went, dialing Tommy's number. All he got was a message saying the number had been disconnected. Muttering under his breath, shoved his phone back in his pocket and kept moving toward the car.

Pulling up in front of Tommy's apartment building, the rangers headed straight to his apartment. He had given Jason directions several months before. The door was locked and no one answered when they knocked. Growling, Jason stormed back down the stairs with the others right on his tail. After some searching, they finally found the landlord.

"Excuse me," Aisha said. "We're looking for Tommy Oliver. Could you help us?"

"Sorry," the landlord answered. "You missed them by about an hour. They paid their last two months rent and headed out. Said someone would be by end of the month latest to get the rest of their stuff."

The rangers groaned.

"Did you see which way they went?" Billy asked.

The landlord shook his head.

"Nope," he said. "They were parked out back. I didn't notice which way they were heading."

"Thank you," Jason sighed. "Come on, guys."

Outside, the rangers stood by their cars for a moment. Jason sighed again, rubbing a hand over his face.

"So what now?" Zach said. "How are we gonna find him?"

"It won't be easy," Billy said. "Hayley is helping him."

"How do you know that?" Rocky asked, frowning.

"The landlord said 'they'," said Billy, raising an eyebrow.

"Aww man…" Rocky groaned. "We're never going to find him now…"

The others glared at him.

"We're going to find him," Jason snapped, crossing his arms in front of him. "One way or another we're going to find him. But first things first. Rocky, you're picking up Adam and Tanya."

"Wait a minute," Rocky said. "I thought you were picking them up."

Jason shook his head.

"Not anymore," he said. "You lost Tommy, so you get to tell them."

Rocky groaned. Aisha rolled her eyes.

"I'll go with you," she said. "Are we meeting back at your house, Jason?"

He nodded.

"Yeah," he answered. "We'll read the letter once everyone is there. So move fast."

The rangers split up, going to their cars.

"Maybe we should check with the Olivers," Zach suggested as he climbed into Jason's car.

They shut doors. Jason's car took off down the street, heading back to Angel Grove. Rocky and Aisha headed to the airport to pick up their friends.


	25. Goodbye For Now

_Okay, I know it's short. We needed a good cut off place before we start on the next part of the story so hope you enjoy. The rest of the chapters are longer I promise, and i will update soon. I always do! :) R&R We love hearing from you._

* * *

"There they are," Aisha said, pointing.

Rocky stuck a hand out the window and started waving. Adam saw him and waved back. Picking up their bags, Adam and Tanya hurried over to the car. Rocky climbed out to help them load the bags in the back end. They got back on the road quickly, heading for Angel Grove.

"How's Tommy?" Tanya asked.

Rocky immediately glanced over at Aisha. But she just raised an eyebrow. He sighed.

"He's—well—" Rocky said. "Tommy's gone."

Tanya paled, gripping Adam's sleeve.

"What?" Adam exclaimed.

"Rocky!" Aisha snapped, smacking him on the shoulder.

"Sorry!" Rocky said. "I didn't mean like that. He's not—I mean, he's still alive. As far as we know anyways. It's just that—"

"What he is trying to say," Aisha interrupted, glaring at her husband, "is that Tommy checked himself out of the hospital and took off. Hayley helped him."

Adam and Tanya both breathed sighs of relief.

"But why?" Tanya asked, frowning.

"We don't know," Aisha answered, shaking her head. "He left a letter, but we haven't read it yet. Jason wanted to wait until we were all there."

Tanya and Adam exchanged looks.

"Then what are you waiting for, Rocky?" Adam said. "Step on it!"

"I'm at a stoplight!" Rocky exclaimed.

"Alright, they're here," Zach said, the moment Rocky and the others walked in. "Read the letter."

The others just shook their heads. Trini rolled her eyes, going to give Adam and Tanya a hug.

"Be patient, Zach," Kat said. "Let them get in the house."

He grumbled, but settled into his seat to wait. Finally they were all sitting down. Jason grabbed the envelope the nurse had given him off the coffee table. Opening it, he found a packet of papers along with the letter. Frowning, he set the papers aside for a moment. Opening the letter, Jason took a deep breath and started to read.

_Hey guys,_

_ I'm not really sure how to start this except to say: I'm sorry. My leaving right now is unavoidable. I can't tell you any details, but someone is after me and they're not going to just let me go. They've already proven they'll go to any length to get what they want. I know all of you will want to help, but I can't let you. Not this time. I won't put your families in danger. This is something I have to take care of myself. Please, don't come looking for me. I'm alive and I'll recover just fine. When it is safe, I will come back. But I can't tell you when that will be. So for now, you'll just have to trust that I'm alright._

_ Jason, I'm leaving behind a project for you. It's something I started working on when preparing for the moon mission. A network of rangers. We never know when a team might need help. It's happened to us before. I don't have anything formal, just contacts. I hope you can take what I have and work with it. Reach out to the new teams as they come along. Let them know someone is there to help them if they need it. I'm sure Billy can help you with it._

_ So, for now, this is goodbye. Take care of each other and I'll see you when I get back. Again, please don't come looking for me. I'll be alright. _

_ May the Power protect you all._

_ Tommy_

_P.S. Don't worry too much about me, I won't be alone. If you haven't figured it out already, Hayley's with me. She'll make sure I'm alright._

The room was silent for a moment after Jason finished reading.

"I'm going to kill him!" Trini exclaimed, breaking the silence. "I'm going to hunt him down. I'm going to find him. And I'm going to kill him!"

The other rangers started nodding in agreement.

"Wait a minute, guys," Jason said, setting down the letter. "As much as I hate to admit it, Tommy might be right."

"What?" Kim exclaimed as they all turned to glare at Jason.

He put his hands up.

"I'm not saying we can't look for him," he said. "We just can't—well—go crazy about it. If someone is chasing him, who knows what they would do to us or our families if we got in the way? I don't want anything to happen to Hope."

Trini sighed, nodding in agreement.

"So then what do we do?" Zach asked. "How do we find him when he doesn't want to be found?"

"By watching," Billy said. "He's bound to leave a trail of some kind. Tommy can't disappear completely."

"And, in the meantime," Jason said. "I'm going to take a look at this network he started."

He picked up the packet of papers.

"There's something to be said for having eyes everywhere," he continued. "And who knows? Maybe it'll help us find Tommy."

"Then let's get to work," Adam said. "Cause he's got a head start. And Hayley."

* * *

"How did you find this place, Hayley?" Tommy asked, staring around in wonder.

They were standing in a cave that was part of an extensive tunnel system. He still hadn't gotten a house yet because he wanted somewhere he could build a safe place for the gems. The cave was perfect.

"It's been on the market for a while," she answered, shrugging. "No one wants it because they're afraid of the tunnels collapsing under the house."

"They'll be just fine with a little reinforcement," Tommy said, smiling. "This place is great."

Hayley smirked.

"So this is a big enough hiding hole for you then?" she asked.

"It's perfect," said Tommy. "Let's get to work."


	26. Carrying On

"How's it coming, Billy?" Jason asked, stopping behind him.

Billy, on a long weekend from his internship, was in Angel Grove helping Jason get things running with the ranger network. He glanced up from the computer.

"The program is running successfully at this juncture," Billy answered. "I have set it to monitor news networks for power ranger references."

"Good idea," Jason said. "The sooner we find out about new teams, the better."

Billy nodded in agreement.

"Affirmative," he said. "Also, the program will monitor for any signs of Tommy. I don't know that it will help us locate him, but at least we'll know if his name is appearing anywhere we don't want to see it."

Jason sighed, shaking his head.

"I still can't believe he'd take off like that," he said as he headed toward the kitchen. "I know he had good intentions, but still."

Going back to the computer, Billy focused on running some more tests. Something started beeping. Frowning, Billy pulled up the screen. He stared at it in surprise for a moment.

"Jason!" he yelled. "It's Tommy!"

"What?" Jason exclaimed, running back into the room.

"Never mind," Billy sighed, shaking his head. "I thought I had him for a moment, but he's gone."

Jason frowned, leaning down to look at the computer screen.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"I got a hit on him traveling," Billy said. "But it's showing him arriving in at least three different countries around the world at the same time. And then the track started bouncing, finally disappearing into Eastern Europe. I'll never find it there. Even if he is actually there…"

Sighing, Jason straightened up to leave again.

"Well, at least we know it works," he said. "We're bound to track him down eventually."

"Not if Hayley has anything to say about it," Billy muttered quietly, getting back to work.

"Hayley, I'm not a fan of this," Tommy said.

She had her hands over his eyes and was leading him somewhere. He had ridden in the car blindfolded all the way from the house.

"You're fine," she said. "Just a few more steps."

"You know I really don't like not knowing where I am," he said.

"I know. I know," she retorted. "But if I was trying to do something to you I'd be a lot more creative than this."

Tommy sighed.

"Alright," Hayley said, stopping him. "One. Two. Three. Ta da!"

She removed her hands and Tommy looked around. They were standing in front of her new café: Hayley's Cyberspace.

"Ummm… Hayley," Tommy said. "I was just here yesterday."

"Yes," she said. "But today is the grand opening. Now I get to do this."

Unlocking the door, she walked inside and changed the sign from 'Closed' to 'Open'. Rolling his eyes, Tommy followed her inside. She smiled, looking around in excitement.

"Alright," she said, clapping her hands together. "You get in the backroom and get to work."

"Get to work on what?" Tommy asked, frowning. "I was in the middle of—"

"Too bad," Hayley interrupted. "I need someone to work here until I can hire someone. You don't have a job yet anyways. So chop chop."

"Hayley," Tommy said, shaking his head. "I was—"

"Whatever you were working on has already been interrupted," she said. "So it's already spoiled or it can keep. So get going."

"Alright," Tommy sighed. "What do you want me to do?"

"And you are now the proud parents of a healthy baby boy," the doctor said.

Aisha smiled tiredly as Rocky squeezed her hand.

"His name is Rockford Jr.," she said.

The doctor nodded.

"Would you like to cut the cord?" he asked, looking at Rocky.

Rocky stared for a moment at the scissors in the doctor's hand.

"I—I—" he stammered.

And then he passed out, landing on the floor.

"Rocky," Aisha sighed.

"Nurse!" the doctor called, shaking his head.

Aisha looked up as the door cracked open. Trini popped her head in, smiling.

"Hey," she said. "How are you doing?"

Trini walked into the room followed by Jason, Zach, Adam, and Tanya. Aisha smiled, adjusting a sleeping RJ.

"A little tired," she said. "But happy."

"He's so cute!" Tanya exclaimed.

Jason looked around, frowning.

"Where's Rocky?" he asked.

Aisha sighed.

"He's in the ER," she said. "He hit his head pretty hard on the floor. They wanted to make sure he didn't have a concussion."

The other rangers stared for a moment and then burst out laughing.

"He passed out?" Zach snorted.

Aisha nodded.

"He did," she said. "Right about the time they asked him to cut the cord."

"Wow," Jason said, shaking his head. "He's never gonna live that one down."

"Nope," Adam said, grinning. "Because we're not going to let him."

A little while later the door opened and Rocky walked in. Jason was holding RJ. They all looked up as he paused in the doorway. Before anyone could say a word, he put his hand up, glaring around the room.

"Shut up," he said, forestalling any comments.

He went straight over to Jason and, ignoring the protests, took his son. Continuing to ignore the rest of the rangers, Rocky moved over to sit next to Aisha, smiling at RJ. Zach finally lost it, cackling as he caught himself with a chair. Rocky glared at him, but that just made the rest of the rangers start laughing. Sighing, Rocky turned his attention back to his son.

"It's a little weird doing this without Tommy," Zach said. "I mean, he's the whole reason we started getting together like this."

Kim and Kat nodded in agreement. The rangers were once again gathered in Jason and Trini's big backyard for their yearly reunion. It was the first one since Tommy had disappeared and they were all very aware of his absence. All of the original rangers were there and had been for several days. The Lightspeed rangers had arrived early that morning to help get everything set up. The Space rangers had shown up shortly after the official start time, bringing Justin with them.

"Has anyone heard from Wild Force?" Jason asked, walking out the backdoor. "They were supposed to be here by now."

Negative responses echoed around the yard. Jason sighed, shaking his head.

"I'm going to go call them," he said. "I really hope they didn't get lost."

Rangers started turning their heads to look when they started hearing voices arguing on the other side of the fence.

"I think we found them," Rocky said, shaking his head.

The backyard gate opened to admit the Wild Force team along with Wes and Eric.

"You are such a moron, Cole," Taylor snapped, glaring at him. "Next time we go anywhere, you don't drive."

"It's not my fault you can't give directions," Cole snapped back.

The rest of the team trailed in behind them. Wes, Max, and Danny were snickering, finding the argument highly entertaining.

"Come on, guys," Alyssa pleaded. "Can't you just get along for a few hours? It won't kill you."

"It might," Taylor retorted. "It already got us lost."

"Not my fault," Cole said again. "You were the one with the map."

Eric and Merrick came in last. Sighing, Merrick leaned over to Eric.

"Why did I come again?" he muttered.

"I don't know," Eric shrugged. "But I wonder the same thing sometimes. But if he doesn't shut up in a little while, just sit on him. I'm sure Rocky and Zach would love to help."

Merrick smirked, shaking his head.

"But you've been here before!" Taylor exclaimed.

"I didn't drive the last time!" Cole retorted.

"Hey rookie!" Rocky said, clapping a hand on Cole's shoulder and interrupting the argument. "You survived after all."

Cole turned to glare at Rocky.

"I'm not a rookie anymore," he snapped.

The other rangers started laughing.

"Oh, you're still the rookie," Jason said, walking over to greet the new arrivals.

"But you said I was only a rookie until I'd been a ranger for over a year," Cole protested, shaking off Rocky's hand.

Jason shrugged.

"Someone has to be the rookie," he said. "And you guys are the newest team."

"So why am I the only rookie?" Cole asked.

"We can't call all of you rookie," Zach said. "It would just get confusing. So you're it."

Taylor smirked.

"Ha," she said. "And besides, Cole. The rest of us were rangers for quite a while before you came along."

He growled at her, but Taylor just laughed.

"Don't worry, rookie," Jason said, laughing. "Soon as a new team pops up it'll be someone else's turn."

"What's this?" Cam muttered, frowning.

He was in Ninja Ops running through some programs. A new email message had just popped up with a high priority level. Running a quick scan to make sure it didn't contain any viruses or anything malicious, Cam opened the message.

_Ninja Storm Rangers,_

_ As the original red ranger, I want to extend the hand of friendship. In recent years we have found it necessary for past and present ranger teams to work together in order to keep evil from winning. I don't expect to come in and take over anything for you. You'll learn to be rangers on your own. This message is simply to let you know we are here should you ever require our assistance. You can contact me at this email at anytime, day or night. If you need us, we will come. May the Power protect your team._

_ -Mighty Morphin' Red Ranger_

_P.S. If you want to meet me in person, I'll be at Blue Bay Harbor Park at 6pm on the 8__th__. I'll be the one in red. No pressure to come. I understand wanting to keep your identities a secret. However, if you do come, remember the code: Christmas Ranger._

Still frowning, Cam called the Ninja Storm rangers to show them the message.

Several days later, Shane, Tori, and Dustin arrived at the park. They waited in the parking lot for a moment, still hesitant about the meeting.

"Are we sure we should be doing this?" Dustin asked. "I mean, do we really know this isn't a trap?"

Shane shrugged.

"If it is, it's a good one," he said. "Cam ran every possible test he could on that email."

"Besides," Tori said. "If it's real, we shouldn't pass up on the chance for allies. Who knows what kind of help we might need if things get out of control."

Taking deep breaths, the three Ninja Storm rangers climbed out of the car. They headed into the park, looking around. Tori spotted him first.

"Is that him?" she asked quietly, pointing over toward a bench.

The man was sitting with his back to them, looking out at the water. His shirt was red. Shrugging, the three rangers walked cautiously over. They paused behind him, but he didn't turn around. They exchanged looks.

"The Christmas Ranger flies at midnight," Dustin whispered.

Jerking in surprise, the man spun around nearly fell off the bench. Tori and Shane both groaned, slapping a hand to their forehead.

"Dustin!" Tori exclaimed.

"Shhh!" Dustin said. "I'm Yellow One."

His teammates rolled their eyes.

"I'm assuming you're the Ninja Storm rangers," the man said.

"Yes," Shane said. "And you are?"

Smiling, he held out a hand.

"Jason Scott," he said. "Original red ranger. It's good to meet you in person."

They shook hands, the three Ninja Storm rangers still looking around nervously.

"So did I hear you say you were the yellow ranger?" Jason asked, looking at Dustin.

"Yeah," Dustin said. "Why?"

"Hmm…" Jason said. "That's a new one."

Dustin frowned.

"What's a new one?" he asked.

Tori and Shane looked just as confused. Jason smiled, shaking his head.

"You being the yellow ranger," Jason said. "Trini is going to love that one."

"Who's Trini?" Shane asked.

"My wife," Jason answered. "And the original yellow ranger."

Dustin stared at Jason in surprise.

"The original yellow ranger was a girl?" he asked.

Jason laughed, nodding.

"Man, all of the yellow rangers before you have been girls," he said.

"Really?" Dustin said, his shoulders slumping.

"Don't worry," Jason said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "They'll love you."

"I'm Shane," Shane said. "Red Ninja Storm ranger. And Tori is our blue ranger."

Jason looked at them in surprise for a moment and then shook his head.

"You guys are full of firsts," he said.

The Ninja Storm rangers exchanged looks.

"What do you mean?" Tori asked.

"Well," said Jason. "You only have three rangers when it's usually five to start with. Plus, your yellow ranger is a boy and your blue ranger is a girl. Not exactly something we've seen before."

"And what's wrong with that?" Tori asked, glaring at Jason.

He laughed, shaking his head.

"Absolutely nothing," he said. "The blue rangers are going to love you. I think it's time the five of them got shaken up a bit. Can't wait to see Rocky's face when I tell him."

"Well, if they don't love her," Shane said, "she'll beat them up."

Jason just laughed harder.

"Oh yeah," he said. "She'll fit right in. All of you will."

The Ninja Storm rangers smiled, relaxing a little more.

"Sorry about scaring you," Dustin said after a moment. "Moving quietly is part of the whole ninja thing."

"Yeah," Jason sighed. "I know. It's going to be interesting having more ninjas around."

They looked at him in surprise.

"There are more ninjas?" Shane asked.

"Yeah," Jason answered. "Although most of them don't use those abilities anymore. Except Rocky when he's trying to sneak a midnight snack without his wife catching him. She's another yellow ranger, by the way. Or Tommy. Tommy is scary good at sneaking. He just—disappears. We can't ever keep track of him…"

They were all silent for a moment.

"So… did you really come alone?" Tori asked, looking around the park.

There was no one else there. At least not that they could see.

"I did," Jason said.

"But what if we weren't really us?" Dustin asked.

Jason looked at him, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm pretty sure the ninja gear gave it away," Jason said.

The three ninjas looked down at themselves.

"Darn it!" Dustin exclaimed. "I knew we were forgetting something."

Shane and Tori rolled their eyes, groaning.

"But what if we were in disguise?" Dustin persisted. "This whole thing could have been a trap."

Jason shrugged.

"Then I would have been in trouble," he said. "Oh!"

Pulling back his sleeve, Jason brought the communicator he was wearing closer to his mouth.

"Andros," he said. "I'm not gonna need that emergency transport."

_"What?" _came the faint and mumbled reply. _"Emergency transport? Got it."_

"Wait Andros!" Jason exclaimed. "No—"

He disappeared, leaving the three new rangers staring around in surprise.

"Where did he go?" Tori asked.

"I don't know," Shane answered.

Jason appeared in front of them again, shaking his head.

"Sorry about that," he said. "Apparently the twins didn't want to sleep last night and it was Andros' turn to take care of them. Now where were we?"

"You disappeared faster than we do!" Dustin said.

"Yeah," Jason muttered. "And went all the way to outer space and back. That was not fun."

"You went to outer space?" Shane asked. "But how?"

Jason shook his head.

"That's a story for another time," he said. "Anyways, we've got a lot to cover before heading home. Why don't we find somewhere to sit?"

Tommy pulled up in front of the house and parked his jeep. Turning it off, he took a deep breath and climbed out. Pulling out his key, he unlocked the door and walked in. The only sounds he could hear were coming from the kitchen.

"James?" he heard his mom say. "I'm in the kitchen."

Shaking his head, Tommy sighed and walked down the hallway. He paused in the doorway.

"Hey mom," he said.

She gasped, dropping the glass she was holding and spinning around.

"Tommy!" she exclaimed.

Rushing over, Mrs. Oliver threw her arms around Tommy, pinning his arms to his sides.

"Umm… mom?" Tommy said, looking down at her. "I can't move my arms…"

She didn't budge, hugging him tighter.

"Mom," he said. "Mom, I can't even hug you back. Mom?"

The front door opened again. A moment later Mr. Oliver walked into the kitchen. Seeing Tommy he stopped in surprise.

"Tommy!" he said, breaking into a smile.

"Hey, dad," Tommy said.

He glanced down at his mother again, and then back at his dad.

"Help?" he asked.

"You fools! Haven't you had enough?" Lothar sneered.

The six Ninja Storm rangers stood in front of him, powerless but still fighting.

"Hah!" Lothar yelled, shooting an energy beam at them.

The rangers yelled in pain, falling to their knees. But determined not to let Lothar win, they got back up.

"Hyah!" they yelled, charging forward.

"Let's finish this!" Lothar said.

Despite not having their powers, the rangers fought hard. But they struggled to keep going. Lothar knocked them back again.

"I have your ranger powers," he growled. "You are at my mercy once and for all."

Panting from the effort of the fight, the rangers stood before him.

"We won't let you win," Shane said.

"What can you do to me without your powers?" Lothar laughed.

The rangers glared at him, determination in their eyes.

"We may not be power rangers," Shane said. "But we still have power. Power of air!"

"Power of earth!" Dustin exclaimed.

"Power of water!" Tori added.

"Ninja powers!" they called together.

Combining their powers, the three ninjas sent a burst of energy at Lothar. It hit him hard, sending the villain flying backward.

"No!" Lothar screamed as he fell into the abyss. "Aaaahhhh!"

He disappeared into the depths of the abyss and it closed on him. Cam, Hunter, and Blake climbed back to their feet and joined the other three. They all stared for a moment in surprise.

"What happened?" Tori asked.

"Lothar's evil," Blake said. "It must have overloaded the abyss."

"Causing it to implode on itself," Cam added.

"So he's gone?" Dustin asked. "Really gone?"

"I believe so," Cam answered.

"And our ranger powers?" Hunter asked, looking at his morpher.

All of them glanced at their own morphers.

"They're gone too," Shane said.

Tommy paused, looking around as the crowd passed by him. This was definitely not what he thought he'd be doing with his life. Taking a deep breath, he headed toward the building. Inside, it took a few minutes but Tommy finally found the right room. The teenagers inside were all talking and goofing around. Taking another deep breath, he strode in. Tommy shut the door behind him and moved to stand behind the desk.

"Take your seats, please," he said firmly, setting down his things. "I'm Dr. Oliver and this is first period science."

There was a pause as the students scrambled to take their seats.

"Now, before we start, are there any questions?"


	27. Time Goes On

"Ninja Storm is here!" Rocky announced as he unlocked the gate for the new team.

They walked in, looking around in surprise at the crowd of rangers in the backyard.

"I guess it's a good thing Jason has a big backyard," Tori commented. "Because there are a lot of rangers."

"You must be the yellow ranger," Rocky said, turning around after shutting the gate.

Tori raised an eyebrow. Looking down at herself, she crossed her arms.

"And you must be Rocky," she said. "Didn't Jason tell you about me?"

Rocky shrugged.

"He said there was only one girl," he said. "And that there wasn't a pink ranger."

"Dustin is the yellow ranger," Tori snapped, pointing at Dustin.

"The yellow ranger is a boy?" Rocky exclaimed.

Jason heard him from across the yard and sighed. Trini snorted, shaking her head. They both walked over to greet the new team.

"What's wrong with that?" Dustin asked, glaring at Rocky.

"Yes, dear," Aisha said behind Rocky. "What's wrong with that?"

Rocky spun to look at his wife.

"Umm… I—nothing," he stammered.

Shaking his head at Rocky, Billy walked over to introduce himself.

"Greetings," he said, holding out a hand to Tori. "I'm Billy, the original blue ranger. It's good to meet the newest blue ranger."

Smiling, Tori took his hand.

"I'm Tori," she said. "Jason's told us a lot about you guys."

"Wait a minute!" Rocky exclaimed, turning around to look at Tori again. "The blue ranger is a girl?"

Tori's eyes narrowed.

"Umm…I'd watch what you say," Shane muttered to Rocky. "She'll hurt you."

"But she's tiny!" Rocky said.

Before he knew what was happening, Rocky found himself on his back. He grunted and then choked as water suddenly dumped all over him. Shooting upright he looked around in surprise. Everyone was laughing.

"Where did the water come from?" he exclaimed.

"Tori has the power of water," Dustin laughed. "And you made her mad."

Grumbling as the other rangers continued to laugh at him, Rocky climbed to his feet.

"I'm going to change," he muttered.

"Told you that you'd fit in," Jason said after Rocky was gone. "Go ahead and mingle. It's easier to do introductions as we go."

But before the ninjas could move anywhere else, Cole sauntered over.

"Hey, new rookie," he grinned, holding out a hand to Shane. "I'm Cole, red Wild Force ranger."

Shane raised an eyebrow, not taking Cole's hand.

"Excuse you?" he said, crossing his arms.

"You're the newest red ranger," Cole said. "That makes you the rookie."

"Actually," Shane said. "Hunter's the newest red ranger."

"What?" Cole said in confusion.

Hunter crossed his arms in front of him, glaring at Cole. Thunder rumbled in the distance.

"Try calling me rookie and see what happens," he growled, the thunder growing louder.

"Hunter," Blake said, putting a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Calm down."

Hunter took a deep breath, but continued to glare at Cole. Jason frowned, looking at the three red rangers.

"Well this is a problem," he said. "We can't have two rookies. It just doesn't work."

Cole spun to look at Jason, sputtering.

"We need a ruling," Jason said, looking around. "Can we have two rookies?"

"Nope," Zach said, joining them. "Only one rookie allowed."

Jason shrugged.

"Alright," he said. "Decision made. Only one rookie allowed."

"But you said I wouldn't be the rookie anymore once the new team came!" Cole protested.

"Sorry," Jason said. "Besides, I'm pretty sure that thunder wasn't natural. I think Hunter was protesting the title."

Blake grinned, exchanging looks with Hunter.

"There's a reason they call us the Thunder rangers," he said.

"Besides," Hunter said. "I'm the crimson ranger, not red."

"He's got a point," Tori said.

Cole shook his head.

"Fine, whatever," he said. "But that just means Shane gets to be the rookie since there's only one of them."

"Nice try," Zach laughed. "But crimson is a form of red. So it still counts."

Muttering to himself, Cole glared around at the group.

"So which one is it gonna be?" he snapped. "Is he a red ranger or not?"

"Both," Jason answered. "He's not a red ranger, but since crimson is a form of red he still fits into that category."

"And that means you're still the rookie," Zach said. "Because we can't have two rookies. So, since you're the youngest red ranger who doesn't have another teammate in red, that means you get the title."

Throwing his hands up in the air in defeat, Cole stalked away grumbling. Jason, Zach, and Ninja Storm laughed as they watched him go.

Dusting themselves off, Conner, Ethan, and Kira looked up at the hole they had just fallen through. It was high above their heads.

"Alright, you guys stay here where it's safe," Conner said, looking up. "I'll climb up and come back with help."

Nodding, Ethan and Kira stepped back while Conner attempted to climb the wall. But he slipped, falling before he made it far.

"Back already?" Ethan, looking at Conner.

Conner glared. Having no other choice, they started following the tunnel. Kira started humming and singing as they walked.

"Freak you out," Kira sang. "Freak you out. Freak you out."

"Babe, could you keep it down?" Conner said, walking around her. "Try to stay focused."

Kira froze, glaring at him.

"Did you just call me babe?" she said, and then looked back at Ethan. "Did he just call me babe?"

"I don't know," Ethan shrugged. "I wasn't listening. Just groovin' to your tune."

Kira stalked over to Conner. He just stared at her.

"What?" he said. "Just chill out why don't you?"

"Listen," she snapped. "My name is Kira. Maybe you should write it on your hand or something so you can remember."

Continuing down the tunnels, the three teens stumbled upon a dinosaur skeleton coming out of the wall. They stared at it for a moment.

"This screams Jurassic Park to me," Kira finally said.

"This'll get us out of detention forever," Conner said, reaching for the jaw.

"Do you think you should—" Kira started to say.

But when Conner touched the jaw, the wall opened. They just stared in surprise when it revealed a room of some kind. Walking in, they stared around in amazement.

"Whoa!" Ethan exclaimed.

"I could do a crazy video in here," said Kira.

"Whoa," said Conner, grinning as he looked over at Ethan. "This must be like the mother ship for you, dude."

"Normally, I'd be insulted," Ethan said, shaking his head. "But when you're right, you're right."

Conner spotted three colored gems sitting on a table. Walking over, he reached to pick one up.

"Yo!" Ethan exclaimed. "Don't touch that!"

"Why not?" Conner asked, looking at him in surprise.

Ethan rolled his eyes. He and Kira both walked over to the table.

"You really are taking this whole dumb jock thing to a whole new level," Ethan muttered.

"Look," Conner said. "I have sat through enough dumb science classes to know that that thing looks fully prehistoric. And if I don't have to miss practice…"

"I hate to agree with him," Kira said. "Really, I do. But I already missed one rehearsal."

Giving up the argument, Ethan nodded. The three teens reached out and each picked up a gem. They started glowing. Conner's was red, Ethan's blue, and Kira's yellow.

"Huh?" they all said, looking at each other in surprise.

They stayed where they were, studying the gems.

"Well, what are they?" Kira asked.

"I can go online later and see if I can find out," Ethan said, turning his in his hand.

Conner smirked.

"You in front of a computer," he scoffed. "Wait, let me put on my surprised face."

Ethan just glared.

"You know," he said. "Ten years from now when your hairline's receding and you're playing pick-up soccer in the park because your dreams of turning pro never quite worked out, I'll have my own multi-million dollar software business."

Conner glared back. Kira just rolled her eyes and headed back the way they had come in.

"Where are you going?" Ethan asked.

She paused, raising an eyebrow.

"I don't want to think about what kind of freak lives in a place like this," she answered. "And I sure don't want to be here when it gets home."

Ethan and Conner exchanged looks.

"Right behind you," Conner said.

The three left the room to find a way out of the tunnels.

"You look beautiful, Cass," TJ said as he spun her around the dance floor.

She blushed, ducking her head. They were in the middle of their first dance.

"You're actually speechless," TJ grinned, looking down at Cassie. "I don't think I've ever seen a speechless Cassie. I could get used to this."

She smacked him on the shoulder. TJ laughed, catching her hand again. After the dance was over, the couple made their way to the head table where their friends were waiting. Dinner was served shortly after.

"So where are the twins tonight?" Carlos asked Andros.

"They're still on the ship," he answered.

Ashley, sitting next to Cassie, sighed.

"I hope they're doing alright," she said.

She really hadn't been away from them for long since the twins were born. The wedding had been an all day affair, starting with preparations first thing in the morning.

"They'll be just fine," Andros said reassuringly, smiling at Ashley. "Karone is perfectly capable of handling them for the day, and Zhane is there for protection just in case."

"I know," Ashley said. "But I'm still worried…"

"Wait a minute," TJ said. "You left your kids with the former Dark Princess of the Universe? Are you sure that's a good idea?"

Andros turned to glare at him. TJ put his hands up.

"TJ!" Cassie scolded. "

"They're fine," Andros stated again. "Karone isn't evil anymore. Besides, Alpha is there as well. And if anything were to happen Zhane or D.E.C.A. would call."

Taking a deep breath, Ashley stood up from the table and started fishing for her phone in her purse.

"I think I'm going to check in with Karone," she said.

"Ashley," Andros said.

But she kept going. Sighing, Andros shook his head.

"I don't understand why the network isn't catching anything," Jason muttered, staring at the newspaper. "They clearly exist, but there have been no alerts."

He stared at the headline. There was a new power ranger team now. But the network Billy had created to bring in reports and help them find the rangers wasn't catching anything. Sighing, Jason picked up the phone.

"Reefside," he muttered, waiting for Billy to answer. "What is it about Reefside that is stumping the network?"

A few days later, Jason found himself walking the streets of Reefside. He and Billy had spent hours combing through data to no avail. There were absolutely no clues as to how to contact the new ranger team. They had sent out some general messages, but had gotten no replies. Sighing, Jason looked around. He'd been there all morning and nothing had happened.

"Where's a monster when you need one?" he muttered to himself, pausing in front of an internet café.

Shaking his head, Jason started to walk past the door when someone came rushing out, bumping into him.

"Sorry!" the man exclaimed.

But he didn't stop. Jason frowned, turning to see who it had been. But all he caught was a glimpse of short hair and black long-sleeved shirt before the man was lost in the crowd. Explosions in the distance drew his attention away, however, and he started jogging toward the sounds, which were in the same direction the man had gone in.

"Finally," he said. "Maybe now I'll get somewhere."

By the time he arrived, the rangers were already morphed and fighting. There were four of them. Red, yellow, blue, and black. Jason watched them take down the monster from a safe distance.

"Impressive," he muttered, nodding in admiration. "They fight well together for being so new."

When the battle was over, Jason rushed forward to try and talk to them. But the rangers saw him coming. They hopped on motorcycles and were gone before Jason could say a word. Jason stared for a moment in amazement.

"I've gotta get me one of those," he muttered, turning to head back to his car.

"What's that?" Conner exclaimed, staring in shock.

They'd been in the middle of fighting a monster when a blur suddenly appeared. It was fighting the monster, moving so quickly they couldn't tell who, or what, it was.

"I don't know," Kira said.

The monster went down and the blur disappeared.

"Huh?" Ethan said.

Conner and Kira shook their heads.

"You guys saw that, right?" Conner asked, speaking into his communicator.

_"Yeah,"_ Tommy answered from the lab._ "We're still trying to figure out what it was."_

"We'll try and follow it," said Conner. "Come on!"

The three rangers took off in the direction the blur had gone, trying to find it.

"It should be around here somewhere," Conner said, looking around.

"I don't see anything," Ethan said, shaking his head.

"Look harder," a new voice growled.

The three rangers stared in surprise. A white power ranger was suddenly standing in front of them.

"Whoa!" Kira exclaimed.

"Whoa," Ethan repeated.

"Who is it?" Kira exclaimed.

"And how come he gets the phat helmet?" Ethan asked.

They all stood watching each other for a moment.

"This guy a friend of yours Dr. O?" Conner asked.

_"Never saw him before," _Tommy answered.

Conner nodded.

"Ok," said Conner.

He took a few steps forward toward the white ranger.

"Don't come any closer," the white ranger ordered. "You'll force me to do something I don't wanna do."

Conner froze, staring at the new ranger.

"What do you mean by that?" Conner snapped.

"Let me show you," the white ranger said.

He pulled out a sword shapped like a feather and started tracing shapes in the air.

"White drago sword: laser arrows," he said. "Fire!"

The green laser arrows shot toward the other rangers, hitting them hard. Shouting in pain, they went flying backward.

"Was that really necessary?" Conner asked as they climbed back to their feet.

"That was just a warning," the white ranger growled.

Tracing another shape in the air, the white ranger disappeared, leaving the other three to stare in surprise.

"Alright, that's it," Ashley sighed, setting down lunch. "Give me that."

She got up and walked over to where Kaden and Kayla were playing on the floor. They had somehow gotten a hold of one of the projector controllers.

"I don't know how you got that," Ashley said. "But it's not a toy."

Taking the remote, she handed the twins each one of the toys lying on the floor next to them. Straightening up, Ashley set the controller back up out of their reach and started going back to her lunch. But something brushed against her arm and she jumped, spinning around. The remote was floating in mid-air. Glaring, Ashley snatched it.

"Andros!" she exclaimed. "I don't appreciate you scaring me."

There was no answer. Frowning, Ashley looked around.

"D.E.C.A.," she sighed. "Where's Andros?"

"Andros is in the control room," D.E.C.A. answered.

Ashley frowned again and glanced back at the twins. She stared, dropping the remote in shock. Several of their toys were floating around them as the twins laughed. Leaning against the table next to her, Ashley took several deep breaths, trying not to panic.

"Andros," D.E.C.A. said.

He didn't look up from the computer.

"What is it, D.E.C.A.?" he said.

"Ashley is showing signs of distress," she answered.

Frowning, Andros looked up.

"Where is she?" he asked.

"She is in the dining room," D.E.C.A. said.

Standing up, Andros hurried to the dining room. Ashley was sitting in one of the chairs crying.

"Ashley, what's wrong?" he asked.

She just shook her head and pointed. He followed her hand and froze in surprise when he saw the twins.

"Oh boy," he sighed.

Sitting down next to her, Andros put an arm around Ashley's shoulders.

"Don't worry," he said. "It'll be alright. This is completely natural."

"But they're both doing it!" Ashley cried. "And they're two!"

"We'll get through this," Andros said, trying to reassure her. "This isn't a problem."

She just started crying harder. Sighing, Andros stood up and headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" Ashley exclaimed, still crying.

"I'm going to call Karone," he said. "We're probably going to want some extra help for a little while."


	28. Life Happens

Hayley finished running the scan. Shaking her head, she turned around to look at the teens.

"What's the deal?" Kira asked. "Is he frozen or something?"

"Not exactly," Hayley sighed. "It's more like he's fossilized. Fused into this amber like substance."

The teens exchanged glances.

"Can you get him out?" Conner asked.

Hayley shook her head.

"Too risky," she said. "He's able to stay alive in there, but I'd hate to think what would happen if I broke him out."

Exchanging looks again, the three rangers grew grim.

"A paleontologist turned into a fossil?" Ethan muttered. "The white ranger's got a great sense of humor."

"Well, personally," Kira said. "I've had enough of him."

Ethan and Conner nodded in agreement.

"Let's find out who this guy is and deal with him," Conner said. "Now."

"Well, another dead end," Carter said as he walked in. "Ms. Rawlings wasn't able to find anything on the new ranger team either."

The Lightspeed Rescue team was back on Aquabase, trying to help Jason track down the newest rangers. Carter had just gotten back from checking in with Angela Rawlings, formerly Angela Fairweather, with no luck. The rest of the team was in the conference room waiting for him.

"I really just don't get it," Carter sighed, sitting down next to Dana. "How can they possibly avoid all of us? Andros and the other space rangers are looking. We're looking. Even Wes and Eric are looking. Why can't we find them? Something funny is going on with this whole thing."

"Relax, Carter," Kelsey said. "Maybe they just don't want to be found."

He shook his head.

"I don't know," he said.

"Kelsey's right," Joel said. "You need to relax."

"If we don't find them, we don't find them," Chad added.

Carter sighed, leaning back in his chair.

"I'm sure everything is fine, honey," Dana said, leaning against his shoulder. "We'll just have to keep an eye on the situation. If they need help, one of the teams will go in."

He nodded, still frustrated.

"Hey!" Kelsey exclaimed, looking around. "I've got the perfect way to get our minds off of the mysterious new ranger team."

"And what would that be?" Ryan asked.

"My rollerblading competition this weekend," she answered, grinning. "Why don't all of you come?"

"Hey, that's a great idea," Joel said. "I'll bring Angela, too."

The rest of the team nodded in agreement, liking the idea. Dana glanced at Carter, who was staring down at the table.

"Come on, Carter," she said. "Let's go talk to dad. Maybe some of his contacts have found something. If not, we can take a trip out to Reefside tomorrow and get back in time for Kelsey's competition."

"Alright," he said. "I can agree with that."

Smiling, Dana hopped up and pulled him out of his chair.

"Where is Captain Mitchell anyways?" he asked as they headed out of the room.

From a distance, Tommy watched the three teens fighting in their Zords. Completely focused on the fight, Tommy didn't hear anyone approaching.

"I know you can take this guy," he said. "Stay focused."

He was attacked from behind and went down.

"You again?" Tommy exclaimed, looking up at his attacker.

"I've been waiting for this moment for a long time," Zeltrax snarled.

Zeltrax swung his sword, intending to kill Tommy. Still on the ground, Tommy was defenseless.

"No!" the white ranger yelled, blocking the strike. "Get back Zeltrax!"

Both Tommy and Zeltrax stared in surprise. Neither had seen or heard him coming. He knocked Zeltrax out of the way.

"You!" Zeltrax hissed.

Tommy stared.

"What's going on?" he said.

Zeltrax and the white ranger fought, completely ignoring Tommy, who was still on the ground. Tommy was not expecting that. The last he knew, Trent, the white ranger, was evil.

"Ok," Tommy said, shaking his head. "Now I'm really confused."

Trent shot a beam from his Drago sword at Zeltrax. But the villain dodged.

"Meso fire!" Zeltrax yelled.

The resulting explosion knocked Trent off of his feet. Coming from behind him, Tommy charged into the fight. Though unsure of Trent's purpose, Tommy fought Zeltrax with him. They finally knocked him down.

"You will pay dearly for that, traitor," Zeltrax hissed.

He disappeared into an invisiportal, leaving Tommy alone with Trent.

"You ok?" Trent asked.

"What do you want?" Tommy snapped, on guard.

Trent took a deep breath.

"Power down," he said.

He demorphed and started walking toward Tommy.

"Whoa. Stop right there," Tommy said, dropping into a defensive stance.

Trent froze, putting up his hands.

"Dr. Oliver," he pleaded. You've gotta listen to me."

After the fight was over and the monster destroyed, the teens headed back to the lab.

"Anyone know why Dr. Oliver wanted us to meet him here?" Ethan asked.

Kira and Conner shook their heads.

"He said something about a big surprise," said Kira.

They opened the door to the lab and started to walk inside.

"Hey guys," said Trent.

He was standing just inside the door. The instant they saw him, the three rangers dropped into defensive positions and prepared for a fight.

"Hold on," Trent said, holding out his hands.

"Whoa," Conner snapped. "How did you get in here?"

"I let him in," Tommy said from the far side of the room.

Standing up, Tommy walked over. Conner and Ethan moved to stand next to him. Kira stayed on the other side so that Trent couldn't escape.

"What?" Conner exclaimed. "But he's—"

"On our side now," Tommy interrupted.

Ethan scoffed.

"Yeah right," he said. "Every time we hear that he burns us. Why should we believe him now?"

"Because," Tommy said. "He saved my life."

The three rangers stared at Trent in shock for a moment.

"Is that true?" Conner asked warily.

"Yeah," Trent answered. "I'm in control of the dino gem now. I wanna use it to fight with you."

"I wouldn't have brought him here if I didn't think he was telling the truth," said Tommy, looking around at the other three. "But only you can decide whether or not you trust him."

There was silent for a moment as the teens thought about it.

"Well, if Dr. O is down with it," Ethan sighed, "then I guess I'm on board, too."

"Yeah," Conner muttered, standing down. "I guess we've got no choice, considering I'm kind of tired of fighting you."

Trent shrugged and turned around to look at Kira. Taking a deep breath, he walked over to her.

"Look, I know I've got a lot to make up for," he said. "But I promise. This time I won't let you down."

Kira studied him for a moment.

"Well, I guess everyone deserves one last chance," she said, and then grinned, glancing over at Ethan and Conner. "But isn't there a rule that says newbie rangers have to wash all the zords?"

They both started grinning.

"Hey, I forgot about that rule," Ethan said.

The three of them quickly grabbed the cleaning supplies and started piling them in Trent's arms.

"The zords?" Trent exclaimed. "But they're gigantic!"

"Yeah, they are," Conner smirked. "So, better get started."

Grumbling, Trent headed to get started on the cleaning. Laughing, the other three watched their new teammate walk out of the room.

"I love these!" Tanya exclaimed. "Thank you, Kat."

She was holding a box of baby clothes. The clothes were in a rainbow of ranger colors. Kat smiled.

"This way you have whatever color you want," Kat said. "Your baby can dress like any of us."

The rangers laughed. They were all gathered in Adam and Tanya's living room for the baby shower. Tanya had already opened most of the gifts. Reaching for the next one, she hesitated and glanced over at Rocky.

"Did you pick this out yourself?" she asked, looking at the small gift.

"Yes," he said, frowning. "Why?"

"It's not a dog toy, is it?" she said.

Everyone else burst out laughing. Rocky's face turned red.

"No!" he protested. "I looked this time."

Shaking her head, Aisha patted Rocky on the arm and handed him RJ as a distraction. He took his son and smiled.

"Don't worry, Tanya," Aisha said. "It's fine."

Nodding, Tanya opened the gift. Laughing, she pulled it out of the box. It was a stuffed animal, but one actually meant for babies.

"It's adorable, Rocky," Tanya smiled.

He grinned. RJ had a hold of his shirt now.

"Last one," Kim said, handing Tanya a box wrapped in green. "Can you guess who it's from?"

Tanya sighed, staring at the box. The others were silent for a moment as well.

"Why can't the idiot just come home?" Trini muttered.

The rest of the rangers nodded in agreement.

"Well, we know he's alive," Billy said. "That's something."

Nodding, Tanya opened the box to find a pile of baby books. On top was a note. She read it quietly to herself, Adam reading over her shoulder. Sighing, Tanya shook her head.

"He's a moron," Adam sighed. "I don't know how me manages to stay away from us and still know everything."

Some of the rangers on the floor started picking up wrapping paper. Grinning, Zach started pelting other people with it until Hope, who was playing on the floor, started following his example. Jason glared at him. Sheepishly, Zach started dropping the paper in a box. Trini rolled her eyes and reached down to take more paper away from her daughter. Sitting up, she exchanged glances with Jason and he nodded, smiling.

"Alright," Trini said. "Just one more thing before we disperse too far."

"What is it?" Zach asked. "I really didn't mean to get Hope throwing paper."

"You're fine, Zach," Jason said. "Just don't do it again or you're going to find yourself in the box."

Zach nodded, his eyes wide.

"Anyways," Trini said, shaking her head. "The doctor just confirmed it this morning. I'm pregnant again."

The girls all squealed in delight. Tanya laughed. As the all gathered around Trini, talking excitedly about the two babies coming, the guys finished picking up the trash.

"Oh this is gonna be fun," Zach muttered. "Two of them cranky in one go."

"Don't complain, man," Adam said. "You live in LA, not Angel Grove."

"And I'm glad I do," Zach said.

Laughing, Rocky stuffed a ball of paper down the back of Zach's shirt.

"I'll be back again, mom," Tommy said, giving her one more hug.

They were standing on the porch. It had been several months since he'd been able to get away to visit, even for a day. The Dino rangers had been extremely busy. Walking toward his jeep, Tommy met his dad who was standing out in the yard.

"Don't stay away so long next time," Mr. Oliver said, giving him a hug goodbye.

"I'll try," Tommy said. "But I told you what happened. I couldn't exactly show up here morphed or invisible. Let alone stuck in the amber."

Shaking his head, Mr. Oliver chuckled.

"The things you manage to get yourself involved in," he said. "Just be careful."

Nodding, Tommy climbed into his jeep. As he started pulling away, Jason's car pulled onto the street. Grateful that the top on his jeep was up, Tommy slouched in the seat and tried to hide his face as their cars passed. Jason didn't seem to notice anything as he parked in front of the Olivers' house. Breathing a sigh of relief, he sped away as quickly as he could, before Jason talked to his mother.

Parking in front of the Oliver house, Jason climbed out of the car. He headed straight inside and found Mr. and Mrs. Oliver in the living room.

"Jason!" Mrs. Oliver said, hurrying over to give him a hug. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to clean out the gutters," he answered. "I didn't have time last week and I wanted to get them done before it rains again."

Since Tommy had left, Jason had been stopping by every week or so to help out with some of the chores around the house. Rational or no, he was blaming himself for Tommy leaving, so he wanted to help the Olivers out as much as he could.

"Oh that's alright, dear," Mrs. Oliver said, smiling. "Tommy already took care of it while he was here."

Jason froze, staring at her in shock.

"Tommy was here?" he finally managed to ask.

She beamed, nodding.

"You just missed him," she said. "That was his jeep driving away when you pulled up. He was heading home. Wherever home is now…"

Mrs. Oliver sighed, shaking her head.

"I wish he would give me his address," she said. "But he insists that he moves around too much to worry about it. Anyways, he hasn't been home in at least three months. I guess he's been out of the country on digs."

Gritting his teeth, Jason tried to keep a smile on his face as he listened.

"I'm sorry I missed him," he said. "Do you know when he's coming back?"

Mrs. Oliver shook her head.

"No," she said sadly. "He never tells us when he's coming. Once a month or so he just stops in for a visit. Never at the same time. Didn't he tell you he'd be in town today?"

"We haven't talked in a while," Jason said, shaking his head. "We've both been—busy."

"Well that's too bad," Mrs. Oliver frowned. "Hopefully you can catch him the next time."

Jason nodded, glancing over at Mr. Oliver, who immediately glanced down at his watch.

"Oh, would you look at that," Mr. Oliver said, standing up and heading toward the door. "I'm late for a meeting."

He paused by Mrs. Oliver for a moment and gave her a quick kiss.

"I'll be home for dinner," he said.

She nodded and he quickly moved out of the house. Jason turned and glared after him for a moment. Sighing, he turned back to Mrs. Oliver.

"So is there anything else you need done?" he asked.

Storming into the house, Jason slammed the door behind him. The baby started crying. He sighed, shaking his head as he strode toward the living room.

"Jason!" Trini exclaimed. "What are you doing?"

She was standing in the middle of the living room rocking Trevor, trying to get him to stop crying. Hope was on the floor playing with a pile of blocks. Her green dinosaur was on the floor next to her.

"I'm gonna kill him!" Jason responded in frustration. "The minute I find him, he's a dead man."

Trini frowned.

"What happened now?" she asked.

"Tommy was at his parents' house," Jason fumed. "Today! He was there today and didn't say anything to any of us."

"What?" Trini sputtered. "He was where?"

Jason had started pacing around the living room. Hope was looking up at her parents with big eyes. Taking a deep breath, Trini continued to rock Trevor who had finally fallen asleep.

"He was here in Angel Grove," he growled. "And, just in case that wasn't enough, he's been visiting his parents at least once a month since he left. Except for the past three months, because apparently something was going on. Mrs. Oliver said he was out of the country, but I'm not so sure about that. Something is going on with him."

"Well when is he coming back?" Trini asked.

Jason shook his head.

"He never tells them," he muttered. "He just shows up out of the blue and disappears just as quickly. They don't even know where he's living!"

Trini sighed.

"Then I guess we'll have to keep trying to catch him," she said. "Which means keeping a closer eye on the Oliver house."

Jason nodded. Glancing down, he saw Hope holding out her arms. Smiling, he reached down and scooped her up along with her dinosaur.

"You probably don't care," he said, bopping her on the nose with her dinosaur. "But your Uncle Tommy is in big trouble."

Hope just giggled and reached for her stuffed animal.

Tommy, Kira, Trent, and Elsa watched in horror from a distance as the zords exploded with Ethan and Conner still inside.

"Guys!" Tommy exclaimed. "No!"

The four of them ran toward the site of the explosion, hoping that the two boys had made it out it time.

"Where are they?" Kira said, looking around.

Frowning, she spotted movement through the dust in the air.

"Ethan?" she said. "Conner!"

Laughing, the four ran up to the last two rangers.

"That was impressive!" Kira told them.

Ethan and Conner just shook their heads.

"But the zords," Ethan said slowly. "They're destroyed…"

Tommy sighed. He'd been there before.

"That was the only way," Tommy said. "You guys did what you had to do."

"It's true," Trent added. "Nothing else would've stopped him."

Conner frowned, looking around at the others.

"So that's it then?" he said. "It can't just be over."

But before anyone could say anything, a voice they didn't want to hear interrupted.

"Of course it's not over," Mesogog growled.

The rangers and Elsa spun to look, staring at Mesogog in shock. He had survived the island's explosion.

"Why do they always come back for more?" Tommy muttered.

"You destroyed my plans of creating a perfect world," Mesogog hissed. "However, I was able to absorb enough Dino gem energy to complete my transfiguration. Witness the face of your final battle!"

They watched in horror as Mesogog transformed, growing larger.

"You'd better step aside, Elsa," Tommy said grimly.

She ran to hide, pausing in surprise for a moment when she saw Devon and Cassidy watching. The rangers faced Mesogog.

"You guys ready for one more battle?" Tommy asked, glancing at the four teens.

"Oh yeah," Conner said. "Ready?"

"Ready," Kira answered.

"Ready," said Ethan.

"Ready," Trent said.

"Ready," Tommy answered.

"Dino thunder, power up! hyah!" they called.

"White ranger, dino power," Trent said.

Morphing, they faced Mesogog.

"Let's go!" Conner exclaimed. "Tyranno power!"

"Tricera power!" Ethan yelled.

"Ptera power!" Kira called.

"Brachio power!" said Tommy.

"Drago power!" Trent said.

"Dino rangers! Hyah!" they all exclaimed.

Mesogog hissed in response.

"This is it!" Conner exclaimed.

The rangers charged and the fight began. With his transformation, Mesogog was a lot more powerful. With a blast, he sent Tommy, Trent, and Kira flying to the ground. Running up behind, Conner leapt on his back.

"I've got him!" he yelled.

But Mesogog threw him off and then turned on Trent and Ethan. He took them both down hard. Spinning, he pinned Tommy against a car. Tommy took a direct blast, falling to the ground.

"Dr. O!" Kira yelled, flying in for an attack. "Hey! Back off!"

But Mesogog knocked her out of the air.

"My turn!" Conner yelled, hopping on top of a car.

Mesogog grabbed him around the waist with his long tongue, throwing Conner out of the way.

"Hovercraft cycle!" Ethan yelled, charging in.

He went down, too, his cycle crashing. Conner stepped up again, taking the fight to the next level.

"Over here Meso-mess!" he yelled. "Triassic ranger! Battle-ized mode: engage."

Conner started morphing into the next level.

"Super fire power," he said as his guns appeared. "Cannons: battle blast!"

The blast sent Mesogog flying and caused an explosion.

"You did it, Conner!" Kira exclaimed as the rest of the rangers ran up.

"Yeah," Trent said.

Conner took a deep breath.

"Thanks," Conner answered.

But the pile of rubble started shifting. The rangers stared in horror as Mesogog climbed back to his feet.

"Unbelievable!" Tommy exclaimed.

Mesogog's form turned fuzzy and he started splitting.

"He's replicating!" Conner said.

"One was bad enough," Ethan said. "How do we fight them all?"

Tommy took a deep breath, looking at the other rangers.

"Guys, we have to use all of our powers," he said. "It's the only way."

"Right," said Conner, nodding.

"K," Ethan agreed.

"Okay," Kira said.

"Do it, Conner!" Trent exclaimed.

"Power rangers!" the all exclaimed.

Their gems started glowing as they faced the four Mesogogs.

"I summon the power of the gems!" Conner yelled.

"Dino gems unite! Hyah!" the team yelled together.

Their final attack worked. Using the full power of the Dino gems, they destroyed Mesogog. He was gone. After a moment, they all demorphed. They stood in the rubble, looking around in surprise.

"Everyone ok?" Tommy asked.

"I feel—different," Conner said, frowning as he looked down at himself.

"Yeah," Trent agreed. "Like—normal again."

"Me too," Kira said.

"It's gone," Ethan said, shaking his head. "The power is gone."

Tommy sighed, nodding.

"It took everything the gems had to destroy Mesogog," he said.

The teens looked at their gems sadly.

"So these are just—" Conner started to say.

"Ancient artifacts," Tommy interrupted. "That would look great in a museum."

The four teens nodded. While they were standing there, Cassidy and Devon came running over with Elsa. The rangers exchanged glances, turning to face them.

"Hello, rangers," Cassidy said, grinning from ear to ear.

"So you know then?" Conner sighed.

Devon nodded.

"Well, I kind of already knew," he said. "But I had to show Cassidy in person."

"This is like the greatest thing ever!" Cassidy exclaimed.

Spinning around, she threw her arms around Devon. He looked at her in surprise. Still excited, Cassidy looked back at the rangers and pulled out a tape.

"And we've got it all on tape," she said.

The rangers stared at the tape.

"You know," Cassidy said. "A reporter could make a whole career out of this."

The rangers stared at each other in shock. Tommy shook his head, taking a deep breath.

"Cassidy," he said. "Do you realize what our lives would be like if that tape got out?"

"Yeah. I do," Cassidy said. "That's why I'm giving this to you."

She handed the tape to Tommy, who took it gratefully. The teens stared at her in surprise.

"Wait," Kira said, shaking her head. "Cassidy passing up the scoop of a lifetime? Why?"

Cassidy shrugged, smiling.

"Because you're my friends," she answered. "It wouldn't be right to ruin your lives, just to make mine better. Not after everything you've done for us."

"I always knew there was a heart deep down in there somewhere," Ethan smiled.

"Yeah," Cassidy smiled back. "I just need someone to help me find it. Now, if you'll excuse us…"

She looped her arm through Devon's.

"Yeah," Devon said, smiling at her. "We're off to the prom."

The pair left, Elsa following them. Looking at each other in surprise, the rangers shook their heads.

"Finally," Kira said. "I thought those two were never gonna get together."

The rest of the group nodded in agreement.

"And just like that," Conner sighed. "Life goes back to normal."

Tommy shook his head.

"Our life may be normal," he said, looking at the teens. "But trust me. It'll never be the same."

Looking around the reception hall, Wes grabbed his glass and started to stand up. Eric grabbed him by the back of his shirt and yanked him back down.

"I don't think so," Eric muttered.

"Aw come on, man," Wes said. "It's my right as your best man to embarrass you as much as possible today."

Eric just shook his head.

"Not happening," he said.

Grumbling, Wes set down his cup. Rolling her eyes, Taylor shook her head.

"You really can't say too much, Wes," Alyssa laughed. "After all, I'm pretty sure most of your embarrassing stories aren't for just anyone to hear. Secrets are secrets after all."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Wes muttered. "No one can know who we are."

"I'll bet we can come up with some embarrassing stories for Taylor," Max said, grinning.

"You say one word, Max," Taylor growled, "and you're going to wish you never met me."

Max's eyes went wide and he sunk down in his chair.

"Way to put your foot in it, Max," Danny laughed.


	29. How long has it been?

_Okay couple pf quick things to answer some questions... The reason why Ninja Storm didn't mention the dino rangers or tommy was because they didn't know that the original team was looking for him. It has been years sense they have sent out a full on notice to all the ranger teams to be looking for him, and the others don't talk about it all the time with the others. They have forgotten that no one ever told Ninja Storm what now that i have said that Thank you all for the feed back it has really given us some ideas to run with. :) Only a bit more to go before the big reunion! Keep letting us know what you think of the story so we can keep improving! Thanks everyone R&R ENJOY..._

* * *

Muttering under her breath, Hayley glared at the computer screen in front of her. So absorbed in what she was doing, she didn't hear the trapdoor open or the footsteps on the stairs.

"Hayley, what are you still doing down here?" Tommy asked behind her.

She jumped in surprise, spinning around to look at him. He looked at her expectantly.

"It's the stupid computer," she sighed. "I just can't get the network to function properly."

Tommy sighed, shaking his head.

"Hayley," he said. "It's late. Leave it for tomorrow. We've got plenty of time to rebuild."

"No we don't," Hayley snapped. "Most of the systems are still down. I have no way to monitor the area and make sure all of the tyrannodrones are gone. And for all we know some of Mesogog's monsters could still be running around and—"

Tommy put his hands on her shoulders and kissed her, effectively interrupting her rant. Hayley's eyes went wide. She stared up at Tommy as he straightened up. Shifting nervously, he ran a hand through his hair.

"Sorry," he said. "I hope that wasn't too awkward… I've been wanting to for a while…"

A smile broke out on Hayley's face and she threw her arms around his neck.

"Good," she said. "Me too."

This time Hayley kissed Tommy. Wrapping his arms around her, Tommy kissed her back.

* * *

"Not on the couch, Trevor," Jason said, watching his son.

The two year old looked over at him and then went back to what he was doing. Shaking his head, Jason smirked as he continued to watch. Rocky, Aisha, and Zach were over at the Scott house for a small Christmas party. Zach was currently sitting on the floor with the three kids, laughing quietly. It was after dinner and Rocky had fallen asleep on the couch. Four-year-old Hope, who had gotten a small make-up kit for Christmas, had decided he would make a good model. With the encouragement of Zach, she had started putting make-up all over Rocky's face.

"He's gonna kill us," Zach laughed, taking the cap off of a marker and handing it to Trevor.

Jason laughed, shaking his head.

"He can't," Jason said. "We didn't do anything."

Three-year-old RJ and two-year-old Trevor had wanted to play, too. But instead of using the make-up, the two boys had taken Trevor's scented washable markers and started drawing on Rocky. To keep the kids from crowding each other, Zach had sat down with them and started encouraging the two boys to draw on the sleeping ranger's bare feet and arms while Hope continued with his face. She had already painted his nails a bright pink. Jason just sat in the recliner and watched, enjoying the scene.

"What is going on?" Aisha asked.

Jason and Zach turned to look at her. She was standing in the doorway of the living room, hands on her hips.

"Shhh…" Zach hissed. "They're not done yet. Don't wake him up."

Rolling her eyes, Aisha disappeared back into the kitchen. She came back a moment later holding a camera. Trini was with her. Seeing what was going on, she started laughing as Aisha started snapping pictures.

"Too bad he's sleeping," Aisha sighed. "I'd love a picture of him awake."

"Come over here," Jason said, gesturing to the end of the couch by Rocky's feet.

He was sitting in the recliner at that end.

"Stand right there," he said. "Ready?"

Aisha nodded. Jason leaned forward and twisted one of Rocky's toes. Rocky shot upward, letting out a shout of pain and surprise. Aisha snapped the picture, laughing, as Jason settled back into his seat.

"What are you doing?" Rocky asked Aisha.

"Taking a picture," she answered, laughing.

"Of what?" Rocky said, frowning.

Rolling her eyes, Aisha walked away. Zach lost it, falling over on the floor laughing. Rocky looked around in confusion as the three kids looked up at him from the floor.

"What is his problem?" Rocky asked, shaking his head.

Jason just smirked.

"I made you pretty Uncle Rocky," Hope said, holding up a small plastic compact.

It had a small mirror in it. Frowning, Rocky looked into the mirror. A look of horror crossed his face when he realized what she was talking about.

"RJ did your feet," she added, smiling.

Rocky looked down at his feet.

"Ah!" he yelled, seeing the marker all over them.

Then he saw the marker and nail polish on his hands and arms.

"Jason!" he exclaimed. "Why didn't you wake me up?"

"You told me not to wake you up until it was time to open presents," Jason said, shrugging. "It's time to open presents."

Rocky just muttered under his breath, glaring at Jason.

"Everyone ready?" Trini asked brightly, still laughing.

She and Aisha had just come back with a pile of presents. The kids jumped up in excitement. Still grumbling, Rocky stood up and headed out of the room.

"And just where do you think you're going?" Aisha asked. "Sit down."

"I'm just going to wa—" he started to protest.

"Sit," Aisha interrupted.

Sighing, Rocky sat back down. Zach, finally managing to get his laughter under control, sat up and leaned against the couch. Shaking his head, Rocky leaned forward to pick up the markers from under his feet. He paused, frowning.

"What's that smell?" he asked.

Zach lost it again.

"It's you, man," he snorted. "Scented markers."

Rocky groaned and Zach started laughing harder.

"Alright," Trini sighed. "It's present time. So time to focus. Zach, you go first."

Still snickering, he quieted down. Hopping up, he walked over to the tree and came back with several boxes. He sat down and handed one to each of the kids. They immediately started tearing paper, Trini helping Trevor. Hope squealed in excitement when she got hers open. It was a pair of tap shoes.

"Daddy!" she exclaimed, running over to Jason. "Look!"

He smiled.

"Very nice, honey," he said. "They're pretty shoes."

"Put them on?" she asked, climbing on his lap.

He nodded. As Jason helped her tie the shoes on, he shot a glare at Zach over her head. Zach just grinned. RJ finished unwrapping his present a moment later. Rocky and Aisha stared for a moment. It was a small electronic toy drum set. The three-year-old immediately set to banging on the box as his parents also glared at Zach. In the meantime, Trini finished helping Trevor unwrap his present. He clapped his hands in excitement to see the small child's boombox and started pushing buttons.

"Oh boy," Jason muttered, helping Hope tie her shoes.

_It's a Small World_ started playing. Smiling gleefully, Trevor started hitting that button over and over again. Zach shook his head.

"Boy am I glad I'm not spending the night," he said.

Jason and Trini glared at him.

"Just wait until you have kids, Zach," Jason growled. "We'll have lots of fun shopping for them."

"Oh, I'm not having kids," Zach said, shaking his head.

"Well, at least the others got them presents that make less noise," Trini sighed, watching Trevor play with the boombox. "I could have been worse."

Jason just shot Zach another glare.

"Our turn," Aisha said, picking up the boxes sitting by her feet.

The three kids each took their presents and tore into them. RJ opened a small toy car, holding it up for his parents' inspection. Trevor got a new coloring book and a box of brightly colored crayons.

"Well, at least he can't color on me with those," Rocky muttered.

Trini laughed.

"You do know crayons stain, right?" she asked.

Rocky looked at her in surprise, and then at Aisha. Both girls just smirked. Hope finished opening her present to reveal a new box of make-up. Rocky looked at it warily as Zach started laughing.

"Oh! Great!" Trini exclaimed, smiling. "That'll go perfect with Kim's present. She got hope a box of sparkly nail polish. That's what's on your fingernails, Rocky."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," he grumbled.

"And by the way," she continued. "It's the kind that doesn't chip off for weeks. You're going to need nail polish remover to get it off. A lot of nail polish remover."

Rocky groaned, looking at his nails. Zach started laughing again as Rocky looked over at Aisha. She just shook her head.

"We don't have any," she said before he could ask the question.

"Then we're buying some on the way home," he muttered.

Rolling his eyes, Jason leaned over and grabbed the presents Trini had carried in earlier.

"Jason picked these out," Trini said as they watched the kids open their gifts.

RJ was excited to find a bunch of cartoons on video. He started waving one around, the car still in his other hand. Hope opened hers and held it up, frowning. It was a sparkly red dress. Dropping it on the ground, she went back to looking at the make-up. Aisha, Rocky, and Zach exchanged looks.

"Don't you want to try your new dress on?" Jason asked Hope. "You can wear it with you new shoes."

She looked up at him and shook her head.

"No," Hope answered.

"Alright," Jason said. "We can save it for Christmas at grandma and grandpa's house."

"Uh-uh," Hope said, shaking her head again.

Jason sighed. Trini rolled her eyes. Trevor, opening his present, had a similar reaction. It was a red power ranger shirt. He frowned, blowing a raspberry at the shirt. But RJ saw the shirt and smiled.

"Car?" he said, holding out the toy to Trevor.

Trevor grinned and traded the shirt for the car. As RJ ran over to his parents in excitement, Jason just stared.

"Look!" RJ exclaimed, holding up the shirt.

Rocky laughed, grinning at Jason.

"Nice, buddy," he said. "Looks good."

Jason grumbled.

"Honey," Trini sighed. "You can't force them to like red."

"It was worth a try," he muttered.

Rolling her eyes, Trini grabbed the last three presents.

"So where did they come from this year?" Zach asked.

The last presents had all been received in the mail. Hope and Trevor's presents had come together. RJ's had been delivered to the DeSanto's house, but they had waited to open it until the party.

"Ummm…Indonesia," Jason answered, looking at the box.

"Wow, he's branching out," Zach said.

"Ours came from Ontario," Aisha said. "Apparently he's bored with the USA."

Trini shook her head.

"Last ones," Trini said, handing them out. "These ones are from Uncle Tommy."

The kids took them excitedly. Hope opened hers first. Inside the small box were a necklace and a matching bracelet. They were both sparkly silver chains set with small amethyst stones. Hope's eyes lit up and she turned around, holding them out to Jason. He smiled and helped her put them on.

"Tommy's note said the gifts are all things he found on his travels," Trini said.

"The one in our box said the same thing," Aisha said. "They usually are. And he always chooses the perfect things."

The others nodded in agreement. The presents had started coming for birthdays and Christmas every year starting shortly after Tommy's disappearance. They always came from different place, accompanied by a note of some kind. Trevor finished opening his. He had gotten a set of dinosaur blocks, which he immediately dumped out on the floor. RJ opened his and smiled.

"Bugs!" he exclaimed.

Aisha and Rocky exchanged looks and leaned forward to see what he had. Inside the box were a bunch of amber colored stones. Each one had a fossilized bug inside. Aisha sighed, shaking her head.

"When I find him," she said. "He's so dead."

* * *

"We're home!" Ethan announced as he and Conner walked into the café.

Kira and Trent, who were sitting at the counter, turned around to look. No one else was there.

"Hey, guys," Trent said. "We were starting to think you weren't coming to meet us."

"Now why wouldn't we be here?" Conner asked, taking a stool next to Trent. "I mean, we practically lived here senior year in high school."

"Yeah," Ethan said, taking another stool. "Think of all the time we spent here."

"Or in the lab," Kira said. "I can't believe it's been almost two years since we lost our powers."

The others nodded in agreement.

"And now we're all grown up and in college," Ethan said.

"I still miss being a ranger," Conner said. "We did all sorts of great things then. Now life is just, well, boring."

Kira rolled her eyes.

"School doesn't have to be boring," she said. "You just need to take classes that interest you."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Conner muttered. "I'd much rather be outside."

"Anyways," Ethan said. "Where's Dr. O and Hayley?"

"Movies," Trent answered. "I'm covering while they're gone."

Conner and Ethan exchanged looks.

"It's still weird that they're dating," Conner said. "I mean, we spent almost a year with them, chasing bad guys, and not a sign of anything."

Ethan shrugged.

"I guess we were too busy to notice," he said. "I mean, we were a little preoccupied fighting evil people in white suits."

"Hey!" Trent exclaimed, glaring at Ethan.

Ethan just laughed. Kira smacked him on the shoulder.

"Don't forget about being saved by the heroic guy in white," she said. "On multiple occasions."

Smirking, Trent put his arm around Kira's shoulders. Conner and Ethan rolled their eyes.

"You know," Ethan said. "It's usually the good guys in white. Like the whole 'white knight' thing? A little off-putting to have you show up, evil in white."

Trent sighed, shaking his head.

"But then what does that say about Dr. O?" Conner asked. "After all, he's the black ranger."

"But he was a white ranger, too," Kira pointed out.

"And green and red," Ethan added. "Not to mention, he was evil, too."

They laughed, shaking their heads.

"Yeah, he's done it all, hasn't he?" Trent said.

"Yeah," Conner said, frowning. "So why do you think he's never introduced us to any of his friends? I mean, he knows all of the original rangers."

The others frowned, thinking about it.

"I don't know," Kira shrugged. "Maybe they're just busy. I mean, they aren't power rangers anymore."

"But wouldn't it be cool to meet them?" Conner said. "Meet the original rangers. We did follow in their footsteps after all."

"And one of them mentored us," Ethan added. "I'd say that qualifies us to meet them."

"But anytime one of us brings them up, Dr. O changes the subject," Kira said. "How are we going to even find them?"

They all sighed.

"Wait a minute!" Ethan exclaimed. "We know their names. And we know they lived in Angel Grove. I'll bet you anything we can find the rest of what we need to contact them on the computers in the lab."

"Just one problem," Trent said. "Hayley's encryptions. She's really boosted security since the lab blew up."

"Not a problem," Ethan grinned. "I've learned a lot over the past two years. I may only get in once, but it should be long enough to get what we're looking for."

"We can surprise Dr. O," Conner said. "He needs to take a vacation sometime."

Kira glanced at the clock.

"Well," she said. "If we're going to do it, then now's the best time. They left on their date a little while ago. The movie is about an hour and a half, so we probably have two hours before they get back."

They all hopped up from their stools.

"I have to stay here," Trent sighed. "But let me know what you guys find."

"So what movie did they go see?" Ethan asked Kira as they started walking.

"That new romantic comedy," she said.

"But they saw that last week," Trent said, frowning as he walked with them to the door. "And it took them almost three hours to get back, not two."

The four of them froze, exchanging looks.

"Aww… Not cool," Ethan muttered. "I don't want to think about that."

"Man," Conner said. "Who would've thought Dr. O has game?"

Groaning, Trent started shoving Conner toward the door.

"Out," he ordered. "Go to the lab."

Laughing, Conner headed out the door. Ethan and Kira followed behind him.


	30. Surprise Invitation

"Jason!" Trini called from the other room. "Dinner's going to be ready in a few minutes."

Sighing, Jason pushed back from the computer. He still ran daily checks for new ranger teams. But he hadn't gotten a hit in quite some time. The break was nice most of the time. Just as he was about to stand up, the computer beeped that he had an email.

"Guess I'd better check that," he muttered. "But if it's one of the rangers pranking me again, I'm going to make them regret it."

Opening the email, Jason scanned through it. His eyes grew wide as he realized what he was reading.

"Trini!" he yelled. "I found them!"

"Found who?" she asked, standing in the doorway.

Trevor was clinging to her leg.

"The Dino Thunder rangers," he said, grinning. "Well, I guess they technically found me, but still. They want to meet."

"That's wonderful," Trini smiled. "Where at?"

"This Friday at the park in Reefside," Jason answered.

"Do you think he'll really show up?" Conner asked, pacing around the park bench.

Kira and Ethan sighed, exchanging looks. They were in the park, waiting for Jason to arrive. Trent hadn't been able to come. Tommy and Hayley were out of town for the day and he was watching the café.

"We're early, Conner," Kira said. "And would you stop pacing? You're really starting to irritate me."

Grumbling, Conner sat down in the grass. Kira rolled her eyes.

"Hey!" Ethan exclaimed. "Is that him?"

A car had just parked next to Conner's. Stepping out of the car, a man in a red shirt and wearing sunglasses looked around. Spotting the three of them, he shut his door and walked toward them.

"Do you think he sees us?" Conner asked.

"Conner," Kira sighed. "We're the only ones here."

"Oh, right," Conner said.

Ethan and Kira exchanged looks. Shaking their heads, they stood up as the man approached. Conner stepped up, taking the lead. No one spoke for a moment.

"You're Jason," Conner finally blurted out.

Kira and Ethan groaned. Jason raised an eyebrow, but nodded.

"I'm Jason Scott," he said. "Original red ranger. You must be Conner."

"He is," Ethan said. "I'm Ethan."

"And I'm Kira," Kira said.

Jason frowned, looking around.

"Is it just the three of you?" he asked.

"Right now," Kira answered. "Our other teammates and our tech couldn't come."

Nodding, Jason studied the three of them for a moment.

"I meant this meeting to happen a long time ago," he said. "You guys are hard to track down. Even for someone who knows what to look for."

"That was probably our tech's doing," Ethan said. "She can be a little over protective sometimes."

"A little?" Conner snorted. "I'd say very. I mean, she always knows where we are."

Jason looked at them in surprise.

"That's a little disconcerting," he said.

"You get used to it," Ethan said, shrugging.

Sighing, Jason shook his head.

"Why don't we sit?" he suggested. "I'm sure you guys have a lot of questions. And I've got some for you."

Sighing, Tommy leaned back in his chair and rubbed a hand across his face. With only a few weeks left of the school year, he had a lot left to grade. The door opened and Hayley walked. Seeing Tommy staring up at the ceiling, she shook her head and walked over.

"How's grading going?" she asked, standing behind him and rubbing his shoulders.

"It's going," he answered.

Hayley sighed.

"Why don't you call them?" she asked. "I know that's what you're thinking about. It's been bugging you for months now. And Mesogog is gone. There isn't a reason to stay away anymore."

"I know," Tommy sighed. "But—I just don't know if they'll forgive me for disappearing like that."

"Tommy," Hayley said, shaking her head. "They're your friends."

"They were," he muttered. "They probably hate me now…"

Rolling her eyes, Hayley sat down on the edge of Tommy's desk.

"They don't hate you," she said. "Do you know just how many close calls I've had to fend off over the past few years? How close they've come to finding you sometimes?"

"Probably so they can kill me," Tommy said. "I know Trini still has to have that vendetta, let alone the rest of them."

Hayley took a deep breath.

"Call them," she insisted. "That's the only way you're ever going to find out. You can't hide forever."

The door to the office burst open, interrupting before Tommy could respond. Conner, Ethan, Kira, and Trent walked in. Waving a piece of paper around, Conner started talking excitedly at top speed.

"Guess what Dr. O?" he exclaimed. "We've got the best surprise ever!"

Tommy groaned, shaking his head. They'd gotten out of school for the year the week before.

"What is it?" he sighed.

"A ranger reunion!" Ethan said. "We've all been invited. Hayley, too."

Tommy bolted upright, looking at them in shock. Shaking his head, he looked at Hayley. She put her hands up.

"I had absolutely nothing to do with this," she said.

"I thought you'd blocked everything," Tommy hissed.

She shrugged.

"So did I," she said. "Apparently I missed something."

"What did you guys do?" Tommy asked, sighing.

"Well, you never wanted to introduce us to your friends," Conner said. "So Ethan hacked Hayley's computer and we found a way to contact them. We wanted it to be a surprise."

"Jason sent us an official invite to the get together in a few weeks," Kira added. "All of the past rangers will be there."

"You've gotta come, Dr. O," Trent said. "I mean, they are your friends."

Tommy groaned, putting his face in his hands. The other four exchanged confused looks. Sighing, Hayley patted Tommy's shoulder.

"Well, I guess you don't need to call anymore," she said.

"So are you coming with us?" Ethan asked.

The four younger rangers looked at Tommy expectantly. He sighed, rubbing a hand over his face.

"I'll think about it," he said.

"Aw, come on Dr. O," Conner said.

But Tommy shook his head. Hayley sighed and shooed the others out of the room.

"Don't worry," she said. "He'll come."

They grinned.

"Thanks, Hayley!" Ethan exclaimed.

Shutting the door, Hayley turned back to look at Tommy. He was staring at the ceiling again.

"Tommy," Hayley sighed, shaking her head. "You can't hide forever."

"But how can I just walk in?" he said, looking at her. "I've been gone for almost four years."

"All the more reason to go back," Hayley said. "I'll be there, too. And so will the kids."

Tommy rolled his eyes.

"That really doesn't make me feel better," he muttered.

Hayley just laughed.


	31. Reunion

Pausing for a moment by the backdoor, Jason stared at the chaos in his backyard. It was reunion time again and there were more rangers than ever. All of the originals had been there for a few days helping get things ready. Zach, Billy, Kim, and Kat were staying at the Scott house again. The rest of the rangers had started arriving that morning. This year there would be six teams of rangers there in addition to the original rangers. One of teams only had two members present, but it still added up to quite a crowd in the backyard.

"It's a good thing we have a really big backyard," Jason muttered, shaking his head.

Sighing, he walked out into the chaos of the backyard. The kids were all running around, screaming as they chased each other. No one really noticed them darting in and out of the crowd. After several get-togethers with the kids underfoot, most of the rangers were adjusted to their presence. Dodging around groups of people talking, Jason carried his load over to the food table which was set up along one side of the yard. A flash of light caught his attention and he turned to see the Space rangers had arrived.

"We really need to work on their arrival," he muttered. "The neighbors are going to notice eventually."

The space rangers were in the far corner of the yard. Ashley was holding the twins' hands. Justin had arrived with them.

"Man," TJ exclaimed, looking at his teammates. "We really are late. Wild Force is already here."

"At least we didn't have to wait for Karone or Zhane," Carlos said. "We really would have been late then."

"That's because they're on KO-35," Andros said. "They aren't coming this year."

Rolling her eyes, Ashley let go of the twins' hands and they took off across the yard to play with the other kids. Taylor smirked, shaking her head as she glanced over at the rest of her team.

"That's because I drove," she said. "And I was tired of being the last ones here. So Eric and I picked up Wes first and then got the rest of them."

"Yeah," Max muttered. "She actually dragged me out of my bed this morning. It was 6am!"

"And then we had to sit in the park for like an hour," Danny added. "Until we thought it was a decent time to actually show up."

"And you were still a half hour earlier than anyone else," Jason said as he walked over to welcome the space rangers.

Taylor shrugged. The space rangers started to disperse and mingle. All of the teams from previous years were already there. Most of the Wild Force team had been standing by the grill, waiting for Jason to come back with hotdogs and hamburgers. Merrick and Alyssa were sitting at one of the picnic tables and talking with Adam, Tanya, and Kim. Trini and Aisha were in the kitchen pulling out the rest of the food. Rocky, Shane, and Cole were standing by the gate debating about which of them had dealt with the most problems as a red ranger. Zach was with them, laughing and egging on the debate.

"Shut up, Zach," Rocky growled. "Why are you even part of this conversation?"

"Because it's entertaining listening to the three of you try and top each other," he laughed as the four red rangers glared at him.

Hearing the debate, TJ wandered over to throw his two cents in. Andros walked in the other direction, avoiding the conversation entirely. Instead, he and Ashley joined Carter, Dana, and Ryan on the other side of the yard. Rolling her eyes at TJ, Cassie headed inside to help Trini and Aisha. By one of the large trees, the six kids were trying to sneak up on Dustin, who had started a game of hide and seek with them. Distracted and looking in the wrong direction, he wasn't prepared when they all tackled him. Blake and Hunter, who had been watching, just started laughing as the kids all piled on top of the yellow Ninja Storm ranger. Laughing, Justin joined them.

"You'd think he'd learn," Justin commented. "Those kids are a lot sneakier than he gives them credit for. They've got the teamwork thing down."

"Yeah, thanks for the warning," Dustin grumbled underneath the kids who were still sitting on him.

"You're a ninja, Dustin," Carlos said, shaking his head as he walked past. "You really should be more prepared."

"Especially since he's a sensei now!" Tori called from across the yard.

She was sitting at another of the tables with Kat. They'd been talking for a while. Billy and Cam had been with them, but had disappeared a little while before to take a look at the network system in Jason's basement. Eric walked back into the backyard after a run out to the car. Wes was with him and they were arguing about a call they had just gotten.

"They'll be fine," Wes was saying. "I'm pretty sure the team leaders can handle discipline for one day."

"Wes," Eric said. "You told them to make the team run laps for the rest of the day. That's not a productive use of time."

"Who says punishment needs to be productive?" Wes argued back. "It's punishment. And by the time their done with laps they'll be too tired to argue when they have to spend the rest of the night cleaning and organizing headquarters."

Rolling his eyes, Eric just walked away. Grumbling, Wes joined Joel, Chad, and Kelsey who were attempting to play a game of horseshoes. The problem was there wasn't really enough space and people kept walking through the game.

"Oh, good job, Joel," Kelsey quipped. "You almost took out the two-year-old."

Trevor had just darted through the game, chasing the other kids and Dustin, who had escaped them again. Joel put his hands up.

"I wasn't trying to hit him," he said defensively. "But I still get a point."

Kelsey rolled her eyes.

"Yeah," she said. "Lucky for you close is good enough."

Jason heard them as he walked past, heading back into the house for the rest of the hotdogs and hamburgers.

"You'd better not take out my kid," he said. "No trips to the emergency room."

"Sorry," Joel muttered.

Shaking his head, Jason continued into the house. Trini looked up from where she was working at the table. Aisha and Cassie were helping her organize everything to take outside.

"Hey, sweetheart," she said. "Is everyone here yet?"

"The space rangers just got here," Jason answered, picking up the plate to take to the grill.

She nodded and Jason headed back out the door. When he got back to the grill, Wild Force had moved away. Shrugging, Jason got right to work on cooking food.

"Hey, Jase," Zach said, jogging over. "Need any help?"

"Nah," Jason answered, shaking his head. "Everything is pretty much done. If you really want to help, see if the girls want help carrying the rest of the food out to the table."

Zach nodded and started to turn around, but paused.

"Have you heard anything from the new team?" he asked. "What's their name again?"

"Dino Thunder," Jason answered, shaking his head. "And nothing. They're really hard to keep track of. I can't usually get a hold of them. But they said they'd be here. Had to give them the address three times. Apparently their red ranger kept losing it."

Zach laughed, shaking his head.

"From everything you've told me, they sound like fun," Zach said. "Hope they do actually show up."

"Jason!" Trini yelled from the backdoor. "The new team is here. I sent them around to the gate."

"Speaking of," Jason said, turning to Zach. "Why don't you take over cooking for a few minutes while I go welcome them."

Zach nodded and took over grilling as Jason headed over to the gate. It opened to admit four of the Dino Thunder rangers.

"Wow," Conner said, looking around. "There are a lot of rangers here."

"No kidding," Ethan said. "It really is a ranger reunion. I think every past team of rangers is here."

"Just about," Jason said as he walked up. "The alien rangers don't usually come because of distance and the whole dehydration issue. And Lost Galaxy doesn't like making the trip either. Then of course there is the rest of the Time Force team. The whole future thing is a bit of an issue."

The four rangers turned, smiling as they greeted Jason.

"Hey!" Conner exclaimed, sticking out a hand. "Thanks for inviting us."

As Jason shook his hand, he saw Kira, Trent, and Ethan all take steps away from Conner. Jason frowned, but an explanation came right away as Conner suddenly hit the ground.

"Dudes!" Dustin exclaimed, slamming into Conner and knocking him over. "You're here!"

The rest of the Ninja Storm team was close behind him. Including Cam, who had just come back outside with Billy. They followed a little more sedately.

"Dustin!" Conner yelled.

Getting back to his feet, Conner swiped Dustin's feet out from underneath him and the yellow Ninja Storm ranger tell to the ground. Conner tackled him and the two started an impromptu wrestling match. Kira rolled her eyes, turning to greet the others while Trent and Ethan just laughed.

"Hey, Kira!" Tori exclaimed, smiling and reaching to give Kira a hug.

"Tori!" Kira said, smiling back. "How have you been? I haven't seen you in forever."

Jason stood in confusion as the two teams started talking. He cleared his throat and they all stopped talking to look at him.

"So, I take it you guys all know each other?" he said. "When did that happen?"

The younger rangers all exchanged glances.

"Two years ago?" Ethan said. "Something like that anyways."

"Yeah," Hunter said. "We met when those three went all psycho on us."

Hunter jerked his head toward his teammates. Tori, Shane, and Dustin turned to glare at him.

"Actually," Kira said. "They went psycho on us first. You just showed up in time to keep us from having to destroy them."

"Yeah," Shane scoffed. "Like you were actually winning."

"We so would have won," Conner said as he and Dustin finally got off the ground. "We just didn't want to hurt you if we didn't have to."

"Oh yeah?" Dustin said. "Bring it on, Dino boy."

Jason held up a hand to forestall another fight as Dustin and Conner faced off.

"Alright," he said. "Let's try and keep the damage to a minimum while we're here. Save the fighting for another time."

The two boys just grinned and shrugged, bumping their shoulders against each other. Jason shook his head.

"Hey new guys!" Zach said, joining them. "I'm Zach."

Jason raised an eyebrow, looking at Zach as introductions went around.

"Zach," he said, crossing his arms in front of him. "Aren't you supposed to be watching the food?"

"Nah," Zach said, shaking his head. "Aisha took the grill away from me. Said something about me needing to pay more attention before I killed the food. Trini was on her side so I let them take over."

Jason sighed, shaking his head again.

"Anyways," he said, looking back at Dino Thunder. "Where's the rest of your team? I thought your tech and other ranger were supposed to be here."

"Oh," Ethan said. "They're here."

"Where?" Jason asked..

"They're still in the car," Trent said. "Arguing."

Jason frowned in confusion.

"Arguing?" he said. "About what?"

The four Dino Thunder rangers just shrugged.

"Who knows?" Ethan said. "We usually just tune them out. Makes life easier."

"He's right," Kira said. "But I think it was something about maps and not needing directions because he knew the route like the back of his hand."

"Well he did," Trent said. "Cause we would have been here on time if it wasn't for Conner."

"Sorry," Conner grumbled. "I missed breakfast…"

His teammates just shook their heads. They'd had the conversation in the car already.

"You're lucky Dr. O wasn't in a huge hurry to get here," Kira said. "Otherwise you would have had to wait the whole three hours to eat."

"Three hours wouldn't have killed him," a new voice said behind them.

Jason turned around to see the newcomer and froze in surprise. Hayley was standing behind the Dino Thunder team, smiling as she looked around at all of the rangers.

"Where's Dr. O?" Ethan asked as Jason just continued to stare in shock.

Hayley frowned, turning to look behind her. Sighing, she walked back over to the gate and poked her head out. Jason shook himself. Zach was staring, too.

"Hayley?" he exclaimed, catching the attention of most of the other rangers in the yard.

She didn't answer, focused on something else.

"Would you get in here?" she called to someone. "What is taking so long?"

"I was locking the jeep!" was the response.

Jason frowned. The voice sounded extremely familiar.

"The top on your jeep is down," Hayley retorted.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," the other person muttered, walking into the backyard. "It's habit."

Jason's eyes went wide and he started gapeing, his mouth opening and closing with no sound making it out, as he registered who had just walked in.

"Tommy!" he sputtered.

The backyard went silent as the rest of the rangers, hearing Jason, spun around to look. They all stared in complete shock. Even the kids paused, looking around at the adults. For a moment, no one moved.

"Wow," Ethan said, breaking the silence. "I've never seen so many goldfish impressions at one time."

"Who are they all staring at?" Trent said, glancing around.

The rest of Dino Thunder and the Ninja Storm rangers all shrugged. Tommy sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"Me," he finally answered.

The younger rangers all burst out laughing.

"Wow, Dr. O," Conner snorted. "And you guys keep saying I have an inflated ego."

Tommy glared at Conner.

"Conner," he growled.

"Yeah, I know," Conner sighed. "Shut up…"

The rest of the rangers still hadn't moved, staring at Tommy in complete shock. He groaned as Hayley started laughing.

"Come on, guys," he said. "You're not imagining things. Would someone please say something?"

There was still nothing.

"Great," Tommy muttered, looking over at Hayley. "They're broken. I broke them. See? This is why I didn't want to see them all at once. Small groups, I said. But no, we have to come to the reunion."

Hayley just smirked.

"Alright," said Tommy, looking around the yard. "If you guys don't snap out of it, I'm leaving. I'll just come get the rest of the team later."

"Don't move a muscle," Jason growled, taking a step forward.

Tommy threw up his hands.

"Finally!" he exclaimed. "One of them speaks."

"Oh, we're going to speak," Jason snapped. "And if you try and step one foot outside of this yard you're going to find yourself tied up faster than D.E.C.A. could teleport you out of here."

Tommy just shook his head, looking around. The other rangers had shaken themselves out of their initial shock. The Ninja Storm and Dino Thunder rangers still looked confused.

"Oh," Tommy said as movement across the yard caught his attention. "And here comes Trini… Followed by the rest of the girls… And the rest of… Hayley."

Reaching out, Tommy grabbed Hayley around the waist and pulled her in front of him. The other original rangers had all started advancing toward him, glaring daggers at him. She shook her head.

"Really?" Hayley said. "Mr. seventh degree black belt is going to use me as a human shield?"

"Yep," he said, holding her tightly. "And I'm not ashamed."

Conner and Ethan exchanged looks and started laughing.

"Dr. O is afraid of the girls!" Conner laughed.

Kira and Tori both whipped around to glare at him.

"And what's wrong with that?" they snapped in unison.

Conner's eyes went wide and he stopped laughing as they crossed their arms in front of them.

"Umm… Nothing," he said quickly. "I'm gonna go get food."

He took off across the yard. Some of the other guys started snickering and Tori and Kira's gazes shifted. Ethan, Dustin, Shane, Blake, and Hunter immediately stammered apologies and took off across the yard. Cam just sighed, rolling his eyes before following them. The original rangers had all gathered around Jason and the other teams had started drifting closer. They were all still glaring at him.

"Tommy," Hayley said, glancing up at him over her shoulder. "Are you ever going to let go of me?"

"Not until they promise not to hurt me," he answered.

She sighed, shifting and leaning back against him.

"Guess I might as well get comfortable," she muttered. "You do realize we can't stay like this forever, right?"

"I can try," Tommy answered. "Besides, it isn't really that bad, is it?"

He leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. Hayley smiled, letting him pull her closer.

"Wait a minute!" Zach sputtered. "What was that?"

Tommy looked up at him, raising an eyebrow.

"What?" he said.

"I thought you two were just friends!" Zach exclaimed in answer. "You were very adamant about that. When did that change?"

"Umm… About two years ago, right?" Tommy said, glancing down at Hayley. "Yes. Two years ago."

She elbowed him in the rib cage. He didn't let go, but winced.

"You'd better remember it," she growled.

"Ouch," he muttered. "And I do. It was right after Dino Thunder was over."

"Mmm hmm," she said. "Just making sure."

"Alright, bro," Jason growled. "Start talking. You've got a lot of explaining to do."

"Come on, Jase," Tommy said. "Can't you just be happy I'm back?"

"No," Jason answered shortly. "Spill."

Tommy sighed, still not letting go of Hayley as his friends clustered around them.

"Alright," he said. "What am I explaining?"

"Well," Hayley said. "I think it had something to do with you disappearing, the letter you left, the gems and the island explosion, and you visiting your parents and not your friends. Oh, and creating a whole new team of power rangers."

"I'd say that about sums it up," Zach said.

Tommy just shook his head.

"I guess I'll just start from the beginning then," he sighed. "Any arguments on that?"

No one said anything.

"Alright. Short version it is, then," said Tommy. "The island exploded because a creature named Mesogog was after the Dino gems, which I had discovered several months before. The power in them would have allowed him to return earth to the time of the dinosaurs. I left because he was hunting me and I didn't want any of you involved."

"And why not?" Jason asked. "We could have helped!"

"Because," Tommy said. "I didn't want to put your families in danger. Hope wasn't even a year old."

Jason grumbled, but didn't argue. The boys wandered back over from the food table, holding plates in their hands. They rejoined Tori and Kira, listening while they ate.

"Anyways," Tommy continued. "That's the same reason I visited my parents and not any of you. And as for the new team, that wasn't exactly intentional. It's not my fault those three broke into my lab and stole the gems."

He pointed over at Kira, Ethan, and Conner. Hayley tried to escaped, but he held on to her with his other arm.

"Hey!" Conner exclaimed through a mouthful of food. "You're the one who told us to find something prehistoric!"

"And in our defense," Ethan added. "We were just gonna take the dinosaur skull off the wall. Then the door opened and we got a little distracted."

Tommy rolled his eyes.

"And anyways, Dr. O," Kira said. "You're the one who insisted on grabbing a souvenir after Mesogog kidnapped you. You wouldn't leave without it."

"It wasn't a souvenir," Tommy said, raising an eyebrow. "It had already bonded with me. Through my shoe. So I couldn't exactly leave it there for Mesogog to have. I don't even want to think about what he could have done with my gem in his possession."

The other rangers frowned, exchanging glances.

"It bonded with you?" Billy commented.

"Yeah," Tommy sighed. "Unlike the coins, the Dino gems don't give you a choice. They choose a person and bond with their DNA. I was strapped to a chair when mine touched my shoe. There really wasn't a whole lot of choice after that."

"You were a power ranger again?" Rocky exclaimed.

"Duh," Conner said. "He was our mentor and teammate. Hayley was our tech."

"What color were you this time?" Rocky asked.

Conner snorted, nearly dropping his food as the rest of the Dino Thunder rangers and the Ninja Storm team all burst out laughing. Hayley stared at Rocky in surprise as Tommy glanced down at what he was wearing.

"Really?" Hayley said, shaking her head. "You really need to ask? His black long-sleeved shirt and black pants gave nothing away?"

"Oh," Rocky muttered. "Right…"

"You really should have it figured out by now," Hayley continued. "I mean, all of you wear your colors. Why do you think it was so easy to figure out who was what ranger once I found Jason? You all advertise yourselves."

No one said anything because they knew she was right.

"At least the later teams have started breaking up the colors," she said. "Some of you just dress solidly in your color. Even Tommy. Although he has gotten better in recent years. Except today."

"What?" Tommy said. "Black goes with everything."

"Mmm hmm…" Hayley said. "But you look like a mime. Or some student poet."

"Hey!" Tommy exclaimed. "There is nothing wrong with wearing black. And could you come up with anything more insulting?"

"Give me a few minutes," Hayley said. "I can come up with something."

Tommy sighed, rolling his eyes. A tugging on his pant leg caught Tommy's attention. He looked down to see one of the kids clutching his pants. The little boy was dressed in a red power rangers t-shirt. The rest of the kids were crowded behind him, all of them looking up at Tommy in confusion. Tommy smiled.

"Who are you?" the little boy asked.

Letting go of Hayley, Tommy crouched down in front of him.

"Hey, RJ," Tommy said. "My name's Tommy."

RJ frowned.

"How do you know my name?" he asked.

"I know your mommy and daddy," Tommy answered.

"Oh," said RJ, glancing over at his parents.

They, along with the rest of the original rangers, were still glaring at Tommy.

"Why are mommy and daddy mad at you?" RJ asked.

"Well," Tommy said, glancing over at his friends. "They're mad at me because I'm in trouble. I did something I shouldn't have."

RJ cocked his head to one side, looking at Tommy very seriously.

"Did you break the cookie jar?" he asked.

Tommy shook his head, trying not to laugh.

"No," he answered. "I didn't break the cookie jar. I left without telling anyone where I was going."

"I got in trouble for that," RJ said.

"That's because you should never go anywhere without telling someone where you went," Tommy said. "It's dangerous to wander off on your own."

All of the kids nodded in agreement. Standing behind Tommy, Hayley just smiled. The younger rangers had scattered into the yard, greeting some of the other teams while the originals were with Tommy and Hayley. A little girl all in green reached out and tugged on Tommy's sleeve.

"You look like the man in the pictures mommy and daddy have," she said. "They said you gave me Puff."

She held up a stuffed green dinosaur. Tommy smiled when he saw it.

"I did give you Puff, Hope," Tommy said. "I actually gave him to you the day you were born."

Hope smiled, giving her stuffed animal a hug.

"And you send us presents?" she said.

Tommy nodded. Hope looked at him for a moment, frowning.

"Uncle Tommy," she said. "Why does daddy hold your picture and cry sometimes? He never cries about anything else."

Tommy looked over at Jason in surprise, a grin spreading across his face.

"Aww… Jase," he said. "You really did miss me."

Jason glowered at him.

"Shut up, Tommy," he snapped. "We were starting to think you were dead."

The kids all stared up at Jason in surprise.

"Daddy," Hope said. "You're not supposed to use the shut-up word."

"You're right, Hope," Trini said, glaring at Jason. "Time out, Jason. Two minutes."

Jason groaned, turning to look at Trini.

"Trini—" he started to protest.

"No arguing," she said, pointing toward the house. "Corner. Now."

Hope walked over and took Jason by the hand and started pulling him toward the house.

"Come on, daddy," she said. "You need to go to time out now."

Sighing, Jason allowed himself to be led away by his daughter. Tommy shook his head, turning a laugh into a cough. He was still kneeling down on the ground by the rest of the kids. A tug on his hair from behind jerked his head back a little. Frowning, Tommy turned around to see another little boy in a yellow t-shirt looking up at him.

"Trevor!" Trini scolded. "Don't pull hair!"

Turning around, Tommy scooped up the little boy and stood up. He ruffled Trevor's hair and looked around at the group.

"Alright guys," he said. "How about this? I promise I will tell you everything you want to know. Just not all right now. We're here for a reunion, not an interrogation session."

"How do we know you won't take off on us again?" Kim asked, putting her hands on her hips.

"Kim is right," Kat said. "How are we going to find you if you decide to disappear again?"

Tommy sighed.

"I promise I won't take off without an explanation," he said. "I live and work in Reefside now. You can easily find me there because Hayley won't be hiding us anymore. So can we just enjoy the day?"

The other rangers grumbled, but nodded in agreement. Tommy let out a sigh of relief.

"Great," he said.

Still shooting him glares, the rangers dispersed. Tommy and Hayley were left standing with the kids. He looked down at them. Adam and Tanya's daughter, Allison, was staring up at him with wide eyes. She was dressed all in pink, her hair pulled back in two little braids. Kaden and Kayla, Ashley and Andros' twins, both wore their blonde hair long like their father. They were dressed in the same pants and t-shirts. Holding hands, they kept looking at each other and then back up at Tommy. All of the kids had seen his picture at one point or another, their parents wanting them to know who he was.

"Who wants to play a game?" Tommy asked, looking around at them.

The kids all smiled in response, breaking out in a chorus of giggles and agreements. Taking Allison by the hand, Tommy took off across the yard with the kids. Hayley smiled, watching them go.


	32. What Wedding?

_Almost done! :) Only a few more chapters and this story will be all wrapped up. Hope you are still liking it, we are going to try and tie everything together nicely. Tommy has some more explaining to do and we want to have some fun with the rangers before we finish though. So tell us what you think and what your fav part of the story is! We are currently working on a couple requests we got and are playing with so keep your eyes out for some new (and returning) stories in the near future. For now however enjoy, and keep those ideas coming! :D_

* * *

A little while later, Tommy was sitting at one of the picnic tables watching the kids play tag. Wes and Eric walked over and plopped down on the other side of the table.

"So I've gotta know," Wes said. "How did we miss you?"

Tommy raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"How did you manage to get past all of our men?" Eric asked. "We had them scouring all of the beaches in the area and none of them saw you."

"Oh," Tommy said, frowning. "Well, I don't—oh…"

The two silver guardians looked at him expectantly. Tommy ran a hand through his hair, looking sheepish.

"Well," he said. "I was avoiding them…"

"Why?" Wes asked.

"Ok, before I say anything else," Tommy said. "Keep in mind that I was really out of it at the time. As in hallucinating and not thinking straight."

Wes and Eric just looked at him in confusion. Carter, seeing them talking, joined them at the table.

"Anyways," Tommy said. "I kind of thought they were Tyrranodrones…"

"You thought they were what?" Eric said.

"Tyrannodrones," Tommy repeated. "In my defense, I was out of it and they were all dressed in black."

Wes shook his head.

"But what are Tyrannodrones?" he asked.

"Oh," Tommy said. "They were kind of like Rita's putties. Or like your cogs—no, those were mine, too. You know, whatever mutant creatures Ransik sent after you before a monster showed up."

"Cyclobots?" Wes said.

"Yes!" Tommy said. "Those things. Only I helped create these, so they were a little more powerful than any of the minions I'd fought before."

"Wait a minute," Carter said, frowning. "You helped create them?"

Tommy nodded, sighing.

"I did," he said. "But they were never meant to be used that way. Mesogog stole them and reprogrammed them to follow his orders. And then made more to create his army. So, not really my fault."

The three rangers just exchanged looks, not really sure what to think about Tommy's revelation.

"Oh!" Tommy said, coming to a realization. "Sorry about the jeep, guys…"

"What jeep?" Carter asked, frowning.

"That was you?" Eric exclaimed. "We thought it was just some punks looking to mess with us."

Tommy shrugged.

"Yeah, sorry," he muttered. "I didn't want anyone following me…"

"What did he do?" Carter asked, looking at Eric and Wes.

"He dismantled an entire jeep in less than fifteen minutes," Wes said, a look of shock still on his face. "By himself. After spending all that time in the ocean."

"Oh," Carter said, turning to look at Tommy.

"Sorry," Tommy said. "Oh, by the way. You guys should really talk to your men about leaving tools out where anyone can get them. I dismantled the jeep using the tools left out in the back."

"Oh, don't worry," Eric said. "I already took care of that issue. It won't be happening again."

Tommy laughed, shaking his head.

"Now," Carter said. "Just how did we miss you out in the ocean? We were there within hours."

"I have absolutely no idea," Tommy said, shrugging. "I really don't. I was blown off the back of the island. Once I got my bearings, I just started swimming and kept swimming until I hit land."

Carter sighed.

"I really don't know how we missed you, then," he said. "We had subs everywhere. Someone should have picked you up on the scanners."

Tommy just shook his head. He was as clueless as Carter was.

"Our turn!" TJ announced from behind Tommy.

Laughing, Wes, Eric, and Carter gave up their seats. TJ and Andros took their places.

"Alright," TJ said. "How did you do it?"

"How did I do what?" Tommy asked, raising an eyebrow.

"How did you avoid all of D.E.C.A.'s scans?" Andros asked. "We did several sweeps over the entire area and found no sign of you."

Tommy frowned, thinking.

"How long did it take you to get there?" he asked.

TJ and Andros exchanged glances.

"Several days?" Andros said, unsure.

He glanced over at TJ, who just shrugged in response. Tommy shook his head.

"I was probably already on land by then," he said. "And well on my way into LA."

"Told you we should have scanned over land," TJ said to Andros.

Andros sighed, shaking his head.

"It wouldn't have made a difference," he retorted. "D.E.C.A. wouldn't have been able to pick Tommy out of the huge crowd of people that live in the area. He would have been lost among them."

Laughing, Tommy stood up and headed in the other direction as the two continued arguing. Kat and Billy were talking with Jason next to the food table. Jason had been watching Tommy like a hawk since he had arrived.

"Kat, Billy," Tommy said, smiling. "I haven't had a chance to congratulate the two of you yet. I was happy to hear about your engagement."

"Thanks, Tommy," Kat smiled.

Walking over, Tommy gave her a hug. Kat hugged him back, but she didn't let go right away when Tommy tried to take a step back.

"Umm… Kat," Tommy said, trying to free himself. "You can let go now."

Her face turning red, Kat let go of him. Laughing, Tommy turned to clap a hand on Billy's shoulder. Billy was laughing at the look on Kat's face. Turning to glare at him, Kat lightly punched Billy in the arm.

"So when's the wedding?" Tommy asked.

"Still six months away," Kat answered. "It's set for a few weeks before Christmas. You are coming, right?"

"Of course," Tommy said. "I'm not missing any more weddings."

Billy and Kat smiled. Jason, who was still glaring at Tommy, snorted.

"So," Jason said, crossing his arms. "You're not disappearing again?"

"Not planning on it," Tommy answered. "I'm pretty firmly planted this time. I think Hayley would kill me if I tried to take her away from the café."

"That I would," Hayley said, walking up.

"And is there anything else important that you should be telling us?" Jason continued, still glaring at Tommy. "Because it seems like every time you've turned up in the past few years something else has gone wrong."

Tommy shook his head. Kat and Billy had moved away, leaving them to talk.

"Nothing, right?" he said, glancing at Hayley. "No health issues. No power ranger business. No more psychos trying to kill me. Just a normal high school science teacher."

"You're right," she said, smirking. "Unless you count chemical spills in your classroom."

Tommy sighed. Zach, seeing them talking, joined the group.

"That hasn't happened since Conner was in my class," Tommy said. "And it wasn't my fault."

"Well, if you had seen the soccer ball," Hayley said. "Maybe it wouldn't have happened."

"I did see the soccer ball," Tommy protested. "I was trying to catch it. That's how I ended up with the chemical burns instead of one of the students."

"I'm still sorry, Dr. O," Conner said as he walked by. "I really didn't mean to spill that stuff."

"You're fine, Conner," Tommy said. "The burns healed."

Jason shook his head as Conner continued on his way.

"Everything is fine, Jase," Tommy said, turning back to Jason. "Life is back to normal. Well, as normal as it can be when you've been a power ranger."

"Yeah, well," Jason said. "If you leave like that again, you're not going to like the homecoming, bro. I don't like having to worry about whether you're dead or alive. So no more taking off without telling us where you're going."

Laughing, Tommy stuck out a hand.

"With the exception of something that places your families in immediate danger," Tommy said, sticking out a hand. "I can promise that. Deal?"

Jason glared at him for a moment longer and then took Tommy's hand, pulling him into a hug. After a moment they both took a step backward. Hayley rolled her eyes.

"By the way," Jason said. "Remind me we need to have a talk about outdoing me on presents for my kids. It's really not cool that they're more excited about opening your presents than the ones from us."

Tommy started laughing. As Jason glared at him again, Trini walked over. Stopping next to Jason, she focused her gaze on Tommy and crossed her arms in front of her.

"Hey, Trini," Tommy said, smiling.

"So you aren't hurt or injured in anyway?" she asked abruptly.

Tommy frowned in confusion, shaking his head.

"No. Why?" he asked.

In answer, Trini started hitting him. Tommy jerked, putting his arms up to defend himself as Hayley got out of the way.

"Trini—ow!" he exclaimed. "Come on—ow—Trini. Please. What—"

"You idiot!" she started ranting. "You stupid idiot! How could you do this to us after everything else that happened?"

She kept hitting as she went, venting her frustration.

"Do you realize how worried we've been for the past four years?" she demanded. "You could have been dead or worse and we'd never know! If you ever run off like that again I'm going to hunt you down and kill you and there isn't anyone in the world who's going to get in my way!"

"Trini!" Tommy said, catching her wrists. "I'm sorry. I was just trying to protect you and your family."

Trini continued to glare at him, trying to pull her wrists away. Hayley laughed at the look on Tommy's face.

"Trini," she said. "Please try not to bruise him too much. He's got a tux fitting later this week. If they see too many bruises they're going to think it was me. And I do not want to deal with that."

Jason and Trini both frowned in confusion as Hayley walked away.

"Tux fitting?" Jason said as Trini dropped her arms.

Zach and Kim heard him and walked over, Rocky coming with them.

"Who needs a tux?" Zach asked.

"I do," Tommy said.

"For what?" Zach said.

Tommy raised an eyebrow.

"The wedding," he said.

"What wedding?" Kim asked. "Are you in someone's wedding?"

"Yeah," Tommy said. "Mine."

The other rangers stared at him in surprise for a moment.

"Who are you marrying?" Rocky asked.

Tommy groaned, smacking a hand to his face. Hayley, who had been walking by again talking to Aisha, froze when she heard Rocky. Aisha sighed, rolling her eyes.

"Really?" Hayley asked, raising an eyebrow. "Are you serious?"

"Oh, right," Rocky mumbled. "I forgot…"

Shaking their heads, Aisha and Hayley started walking away.

"I really do try," Aisha said as they left. "I really do."

Hayley just laughed. Shaking his head, Tommy started laughing at Rocky. His face had turned red. Before anyone else could ask Tommy more, Trent walked over holding out his phone. Ethan and Conner were with him, laughing at his frustration.

"Dr. O," he said, handing the phone to Tommy. "Can you please talk to him? He called to ask me where something was and somehow started rambling about one of your projects. Usually I can follow him, but this time I'm just lost. Can you please make him make sense again?"

Laughing, Tommy took the phone and put it to his ear.

"Hey, Anton," he said, turning and walking away. "Yeah, Trent had to go take care of something…"

The rangers exchanged confused glances.

"Umm… Didn't Anton Mercer die on the island?" Jason said.

"Nah," Conner said. "He just turned into a mutant freak who tried to turn us all into dinosaurs."

Trent turned to glare at him.

"He was not a freak!" he exclaimed. "He was a dinosaur!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Conner laughed, walking away. "Says the spawn of the mutant dinosaur freak."

Growling, Trent tackled Conner. The two boys wrestled on the ground while Ethan laughed. Jason and the others just exchanged confused looks. Tommy caught sight of them and headed back over.

"Yeah. We'll have to work on that when I get home," he said. "Anyways, I'm gonna have to go… No, Conner just called you a mutant freak again. Trent's sitting on him right now… Right. I don't want him trying to sit on Conner's head again… Alright. I'll call you later. Bye."

Hanging up, Tommy crossed his arms as he glared at the two younger rangers. Trent was currently sitting on Conner's back, pinning his teammate to the ground as he struggled to get away.

"Trent, get off of him!" Tommy said. "And Conner? Knock it off."

Grumbling, Trent got off Conner. But he turned around, helping Conner to his feet. The boys exchanged glances and then started laughing. Tommy rolled his eyes and turned back to his friends.

"Now, where were we?" he asked.

"Umm… Why are they calling Anton a mutant dinosaur freak?" Zach asked. "And isn't he dead?"

"No, he's not dead," Tommy said. "Anton is very much alive. Something happened in the lab on the island. We're still really not sure what it was. But Anton was turned into Mesogog, the villain the Dino Thunder rangers were fighting."

The rangers frowned, not sure what to think now.

"So you're on friendly terms with your villain now?" Jason asked.

"Well, he's not evil anymore," Tommy said. "Mesogog separated himself from Anton. We—well, Trent—rescued him and now he's normal again."

"He's my dad," Trent said, shrugging. "I wasn't going to leave him on the island when we blew it up."

"You blew up the island?" Zach exclaimed. "Again?"

Tommy sighed, shaking his head as he handed Trent his phone back.

"I didn't blow it up the first time," he said. "But yes. It blew up again. For good this time. And Mesogog is gone, too. Which is why I could actually come, because the danger is gone now."

"So your dad was evil?" Rocky said, looking at Trent. "Wasn't that a problem?"

Trent shrugged.

"Not at first," he answered. "Cause to start with I had no idea. And then I was evil, too, so I really didn't care. It was only really a problem after I joined the rest of the rangers and was actually fighting against him."

"Yeah, evil runs in the family," Ethan smirked.

Growling, Trent rounded on him. But Tommy reached out and grabbed the back of his shirt, stopping him.

"Don't do it, Trent," he said.

"But he's asking for it," Trent said.

"Save it for later," Tommy said. "When there aren't any kids to see. Now go entertain them."

He let go and Trent grumbled, contenting himself with glaring at Ethan.

"Hey, don't get me wrong," Ethan said. "I like your dad. He's got the coolest entertainment system ever."

"Oh, good," Trent said. "So is that why you keep coming over? Because my billionaire dad has cool electronics?"

Ethan gave Trent a wounded look.

"You know that's not true," he said.

Trent laughed, shaking his head. Now it was Ethan's turn to glare. Tommy just sighed, rolling his eyes. Zach frowned, looking at the Dino rangers.

"You've been to your villain's house?" Zach asked.

"Ummm… Yes," Tommy said, raising an eyebrow. "He's not evil anymore, remember? I said that already. Actually, he's currently insisting on paying for the wedding. I've tried talking him out of it, but he wouldn't take no for an answer. At all."

"Speaking of the wedding," Jason said, crossing his arms in front of him. "Where are our invitations?"

Tommy frowned.

"I was wondering about that myself," he said. "I dropped them off at my mom's house almost a month ago. Right after we got the invite to the reunion. She was supposed to give them to you."

"Oh," Jason said, dropping his arms. "Well… I haven't actually been over to see your parents in a while…"

"Jason!" Trini exclaimed. "I thought you were over there last week!"

He shrugged, running a hand over his head.

"I was planning on it," he said. "But I got caught up at the dojo and lost track of time…"

Trini rolled her eyes.

"Well," Tommy said. "That would explain why everyone was so surprised to see me and hear about the wedding. I mean, I figured you'd all still be mad, but the invitations were supposed to be a little bit of a truce. I was wondering why no one had RSVP'd. Or at least sent me an angry message if you didn't come track me down. My address is on the invites after all."

"What?" Trini exclaimed. "You mean we could have found you a month ago?"

"Yeah," Tommy said. "Although this does explain why none of you showed up at my house like I was expecting. I was starting to think you guys were too mad to talk to me at all."

"Not even close," Zach said. "If we had known where you were, we would have been there by the next day."

Tommy laughed.

"That makes a lot more sense," he said. "But anyways, the wedding is in two months."

"Oh!" Kim exclaimed. "I need to start making plans, then. That's not a lot of notice for getting time off of work and buying plane tickets."

"Sorry," Tommy said, shrugging. "Again, you were supposed to know about it a month ago."

Kim just smiled.

"So," she said. "What are your colors going to be?"

Tommy snorted, shaking his head.

"I have absolutely no idea," he said. "Ask Hayley. My only job is to show up. She's doing all the planning."

"Elsa has been helping, too," Hayley said, joining them again.

"Yeah," Trent said. "She's using it as a practice run for her wedding. The house is full of magazines and pictures and decorations. It's crazy."

"Who's Elsa?" Rocky asked.

"Mesogog's crazy henchlady," Ethan answered.

Trent elbowed him and Ethan winced.

"Ok," Ethan said. "Ex-crazy henchlady. Geez…"

"She's my dad's fiancé," Trent corrected. "They're getting married next year."

"She was also our principal," Conner said. "And she was scary when she was evil."

"Wait a minute," Jason said. "Your high school principal was one of your villain's minions?"

The Dino rangers nodded.

"Yeah," Ethan said. "You have seen the showdown she and Dr. O had on the school lawn. It was awesome!"

"Everyone saw," Conner added. "And, on the bright side, no one misbehaves in Dr. O's classes anymore."

Tommy rolled his eyes, sighing.

"Unless they're new to the school," Trent said. "But everyone sets them straight before too long. It's really quite entertaining."

"Alright," Tommy said. "You three get out of here."

Still poking fun at each other, the three boys took off across the yard. Jason was shaking his head.

"Your life is complicated, bro," he said to Tommy. "How do you always manage to get mixed up in things like that?"

Tommy shrugged, shaking his head. Laughing, Hayley looped her arm through Tommy's.

"So anyways," Kim said. "Back to the wedding. Do you have a theme? And you never told me what the colors are."

"No theme," Hayley said. "But as for the color…"

She smirked, glancing over at Tommy. He raised an eyebrow in concern.

"One of the colors I never see him in," Hayley continued. "Blue."

Tommy groaned as Hayley grinned at him. Shaking his head, he started walking away. Hayley followed, laughing.

"We are not getting into that again," he said as they went. "I'm done being a power ranger."

"Whatever you say, dear," Hayley laughed.


	33. Controled Chaos

Twenty minutes later, the chaos in the backyard was starting to escalate. Jason sighed, looking around in frustration. There just wasn't as much room as there used to be. People were tripping over each other.

"We really need to find somewhere else to hold this," he muttered, shaking his head. "My backyard isn't big enough anymore…"

"Why don't you ask Dr. O?" Ethan suggested, stopping next to Jason. "He's got a huge backyard. At least a few acres of forest."

Conner, Dustin, and Shane, who were with him, nodded in agreement.

"Really?" Jason said in surprise.

"Not gonna happen," Tommy said, walking over and shaking his head. "My house is off limits."

"Aww… Come on, Dr. O," Conner said. "You've got plenty of space and no close neighbors."

"Nope," Tommy said again.

He crossed his arms over his chest, still shaking his head.

"Why not?" Jason said. "That kind of place would be perfect for us. Lots of room to spread out and no one to catch anything unusual."

"I'm sure Hayley would love it," Ethan added.

"No, Hayley wouldn't," Hayley said, overhearing Ethan's comment.

She stopped next to Tommy, shaking her head.

"We are not holding a ranger reunion at our house," she continued. "And I've upgraded the security systems. If anyone tries holding one I'll turn the system off of stun."

Jason frowned, not sure how to take her threat. Tommy chuckled, putting at arm around her shoulders.

"She's serious, bro," Tommy said. "And her security system is not easily bypassed."

"Any other suggestions, then?" Jason asked. "Because we're running out of room here. And there's no way we can rent somewhere public. First of all, we have them."

He gestured toward the space rangers.

"They still manage to draw attention wherever they go out in public," he continued. "Plus, we've got the Ninja Storm team. They can't control themselves when it comes to using their abilities. Someone would notice us and there would go secrecy and privacy."

"There's always my house," Trent said, shrugging. "We've got plenty of room."

Jason looked at him in surprise.

"But what would your dad say?" he asked.

Trent just shrugged again.

"He wouldn't care," Trent said. "As long as we gave him enough warning."

"He'd just ranger-proof the house," Tommy laughed, shaking his head.

"How do you ranger-proof a house?" Jason asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, trust me," Tommy said. "Anton has had plenty of practice. Those four are always over there when they're home. And they've brought friends before."

Tommy glanced briefly over at the Ninja Storm rangers when he said that. They caught his look and the whole group trailed over, bringing Kira with them.

"What's the look for?" Shane asked.

"We might have the reunion at Trent's house next year," Conner said, grinning.

"Yes!" Dustin exclaimed. "He's got a pool!"

Tori smirked, exchanging glances with Kira. Tommy just rolled his eyes.

"Well, if you really think your dad will go for it," Jason said. "We'd be grateful. And I think my neighbors would be, too…"

Trent smiled, nodding.

"I'll ask him about it," he said. "But it shouldn't be a problem. Honestly, if there isn't enough room he'll probably just build more."

Ethan and Conner started snickering and Trent turned to glare at them.

"What?" Conner said, trying unsuccessfully to keep from laughing.

"What is your problem?" Trent asked, frowning.

"Not a thing," Ethan said. "I mean, the idea of building an entirely new space for the power rangers isn't ridiculous at all."

"Well," Conner said. "He did get a whole new training area while he was the evil white ranger, remember? Showed us that the first time we were there."

Trent glared, but the other two boys just kept laughing. Tommy sighed, rubbing a hand over his face.

"Not funny, guys," Kira growled. "Leave Trent alone. It's not his fault his dad is rich. And it isn't like he throws it in your faces."

"Trent can handle some good natured teasing," Conner said. "Right, Trent?"

"Oh, I'm going to handle it," Trent said, taking a step forward. "Just maybe not in a fashion you'll enjoy."

Laughing, Conner started backing up. Jason groaned, shaking his head.

"Alright, kids," he snapped. "Knock it off. Why don't you guys go play a game or something?"

The Dino Thunder and Ninja Storm rangers looked at Jason.

"Like what?" Conner asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

Jason frowned, thinking for a moment.

"How about tag?" he suggested. "Take the kids and go chase each other for a while."

The younger rangers all started shaking their heads. Tommy sighed and turned away, heading toward the gate.

"I'll be right back," he said to Hayley.

She smirked and nodded, still watching Jason and the younger rangers.

"Nope, no tag," Ethan said. "The ninjas keep doing their streaking thing, which means none of us can catch them. Except Conner, who no one can catch. Tag isn't a whole lot of fun on an uneven playing field."

Jason frowned in confusion, glancing at Conner.

"Well, then why don't you play hide'n'seek?" Jason said. "That'll be easy for the little kids to play."

Trent grinned, his face lighting up in excitement.

"Uh uh," Shane said. "We're not doing that again. No one can ever find Trent."

"But I never get a chance to win," Trent muttered. "Dr. O always beats me… And he's not playing this time, so it'd be my turn."

"Yeah, well, spending hours looking for you isn't fun for anyone," Ethan said. "Again, the whole even playing field thing? When you spend the whole game hiding in a tree where no one can see you, it kind of defeats the purpose."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Trent grumbled.

Jason sighed, shaking his head.

"Why don't you try Red Rover?" he asked. "Divide the little ones evenly between you and take it easy on them."

All of the younger rangers immediately shook their heads.

"Can't," Trent said. "Dr. O outlawed that one after Ethan broke Conner's ribs. It was a big mess and he said if we ever played again we'd be in serious trouble."

"Yeah, and none of us want to test that theory…" Dustin said. "The look on his face was really scary."

Jason threw his hands up in the air.

"Is there anything you can play?" he asked.

Exchanging glances, the younger rangers just shrugged.

"Here," Jason said. "This one is simple. No way for anyone to get hurt because there is no contact. It doesn't require a lot of speed and everyone is out in the open. Red Light, Green Light."

"Nope," Ethan said, shaking his head. "Kira cheats."

Jason groaned and Kira turned to glare at Ethan.

"I do not!" she protested.

"Yes you do," Conner said. "You're not allowed to send people flying backward when you scream 'red light'!"

Kira scoffed, crossing her arms in front of her.

"Nowhere in the rules does it say that's not allowed," she argued. "And besides that, I never actually touched anyone."

"Still cheating," Ethan said.

"Whatever," Kira snapped. "And Conner and the other speed demons aren't cheating when we try playing tag? I'm pretty sure moving faster than most people's eyes can follow falls into the cheating category."

"You're just made 'cause you can't keep up," Conner said.

"Umm… guys?" Jason said, trying to break up the argument.

No one was listening.

"Yeah," Dustin agreed. "None of us have a problem with it."

"That's because you're all moving faster!" Ethan exclaimed. "Why would you have a problem with it?"

"Guys," Jason said again.

"Just learn to move faster," Conner said. "Or at least get out of the way."

"You're going to be the one moving out of the way," Ethan snapped.

"Guys!" Jason snapped.

The younger rangers still didn't react, too focused on their argument.

"Yeah, right," Conner scoffed. "You can't catch me."

Trent, who was standing slightly behind Conner, smirked and knocked his feet out from under him. Conner hit the ground with a grunt. Glaring up at Trent, he grabbed the other ranger's feet and pulled him down. Jason groaned as the two started wrestling again. Rolling, they knocked Ethan off of his feet and into the fray. Kira and Tori both jumped out of the way.

"Would you guys knock it off!" they snapped in unison.

Shane laughed, dodging out of the way. Dustin wasn't so lucky. He wasn't paying close enough attention and a stray kick hit the back of his knee. He fell, landing on Trent. Hunter and Blake laughed, egging the fight on while Cam quickly moved out of the way, rolling his eyes. Tommy walked back into the yard, shaking his head when he saw the boys. He was carrying a backpack that was stuffed full and a soccer ball. The fight had caught the attention of the younger kids and they were standing by Jason, watching the older kids. Stopping next to Hayley, Tommy looked at her and gestured toward the younger rangers.

"Wanna give me a hand?" he asked her.

Smirking, Hayley put her fingers in her mouth and let out a shrill whistle. The fight immediately stopped, everyone freezing and turning to look at Hayley. Trent had Conner in a headlock and was in the middle of pulling him off of Ethan. Dustin was tangled up in Ethan's legs. Taking a deep breath, Tommy tossed the soccer ball toward Conner.

"Conner," he said. "Far side of the yard. Take Dustin, Hunter, Shane, Blake, and Tori. Start a game. You, Dustin, and Shane versus Hunter, Blake, Tori."

Conner caught the ball and Trent let him go.

"Alright!" he exclaimed in excitement.

He bolted toward the far side of the yard, followed by the other rangers Tommy had listed. Unzipping the backpack, Tommy reached inside and pulled out a laptop.

"Ethan," he said, holding out the computer. "Fully charged laptop. Take Cam with you."

"Thanks Dr. O!" Ethan grinned, taking the computer.

He and Cam headed for one of the picnic tables.

"No hacking into the pentagon!" Tommy yelled after them. "I mean it! They can and will trace it back to Jason's wifi!"

Jason frowned, watching them go. But both boys waved at Tommy in acknowledgement, already absorbed in talking. Reaching into the bag again, Tommy pulled out a notebook and some pencils.

"Kira," he said, holding them out. "Notebook and pencils. And here."

He also handed her an MP3 player with headphones.

"Go relax," he said. "If you want your guitar, it's in the jeep."

She smiled, taking the items and heading toward a corner of the yard near the food table where she'd be out of the way.

"And Trent," Tommy said, reaching into the backpack again. "Here's your sketchbook and some pencils. Go sit with Kira."

"Alright, Dr. O," Trent said, taking the sketchbook and following after Kira.

Jason looked at Tommy in surprise. He had diffused the entire fight in just a few moments. But Tommy wasn't done. He turned to look at the younger kids. Smiling, he turned the backpack upside down and dumped a whole bunch of yard toys out on the ground.

"And these are for you guys," he said, crouching down next to the pile.

The kids' eyes lit up and they all scrambled forward.

"I get the green one!" Hope announced, grabbing a small, green, foam soccer ball.

Tommy laughed. There were other balls in the pile, too, along with a few jump ropes and some Frisbees. The other kids followed Hope's example. Grabbing toys, they scattered to play with their newfound treasures. Jason looked around in complete shock. The backyard had gone from chaotic to controlled in a matter of minutes.

"Wow," Jason said. "You've really got a handle on them, don't you?"

Tommy shrugged.

"I think it's part of being a teacher," he said. "Kids just seem to listen better. Or maybe I've just had a lot of practice."


	34. Purple Power Rangers?

"Speaking of kids," Jason said. "I've got a bone to pick with you."

Tommy raised an eyebrow.

"Is that so?" he said.

"It's all your fault, you know," Jason continued. "Hope is completely obsessed with the color green."

Tommy laughed. Some of the other rangers had seen the kids with the toys and came over to see where they came from.

"I noticed," he said. "The outfit kind of gave it away."

"Yeah," Jason grumbled. "She picked it out herself this morning. Three different shades of green, but that's what she wanted to wear."

"Well, you have Trevor, too," Tommy said.

Trini, walking past, just laughed and stopped next to them. Jason sighed, watching his son who was dressed in yellow.

"Nope," he said, shaking his head. "Trevor loves yellow like his mother. Neither of them wants anything to do with the color red. Every time I try to give them something red, they stick out their tongues and throw it on the floor."

"Or trade it to RJ," Trini said, smirking. "He loves red."

Jason grumbled.

"That he does," Rocky said proudly.

He had come over to see what was going on with the kids. Adam was with him.

"It could be worse," Adam said, shrugging. "I'm happy with Allison the way she is. She looks cute in pink. And it's a whole lot better than painting a room in a color like orange."

He kept going, Rocky following him. Tommy laughed again.

"What about the twins?" he said, looking around and catching Ashley's attention. "Have they developed a color obsession?"

She nodded, shaking her head.

"Purple," she said. "They both love purple. I'm really not sure why, or where it's going, but that's where they're at right now."

"Purple power rangers," Zach snorted, hearing Ashley. "Now that would be interesting."

Jason turned to glare at Zach.

"Don't even suggest that," he growled. "Our kids are not going to be power rangers. It's too dangerous."

Zach laughed, walking away. Tommy chuckled.

"Good luck with that, bro," he said. "I won't have to worry about that for quite a while."

"We had better not be worry about our kids being power rangers anytime soon," Hayley said, joining the conversation again. "Especially considering the oldest one here are four."

Tommy nodded distractedly. Something on the other side of the yard had caught his attention. Conner had caught part of the conversation Tommy and Jason were having and had gotten distracted. He didn't notice the soccer ball flying right at his head.

"Conner!" Tommy yelled. "Dodge right!"

The younger ranger immediately darted out of the way at full speed, turning into a red blur. Conner missed getting hit by the soccer ball, but didn't see the tree root. He tripped and yelled, stumbling toward the table where Ethan and Cam were sitting. Hearing the yell, Ethan looked up in time to see Conner falling toward him. Ethan instinctively put up his arms, activating his armor to protect himself. Conner bounced off of him and went flying in the other direction. Cam, when he saw Conner coming, had immediately flipped out of the way. Trent, who had hopped up to grab a snack for himself and Kira, had to phase into the table to avoid Conner.

"Oh boy," Tommy muttered, heading in their direction as quickly as he could.

Ethan, glaring at Conner, had gotten up from the table to follow his teammate. Conner finally caught his balance as Trent and Ethan advanced toward him. He started backing up, holding us his hands in surrender. Behind him, Kira was still sitting on the ground next to the fence. Hope, Kayla, and Kaden were with her. She had gotten her guitar out of the car and had been playing it for them. Conner, not paying attention to where he was going as he retreated, was about to step on the guitar. Cam and Tommy both realized what was about to happen seconds before Kira reacted. As Conner went to take another step backward, Cam darted in and grabbed Hope before streaking back out of the way. Tommy dived in and scooped up the twins, spinning around to shield them and cover their ears as Kira let out a piercing scream. Ethan, Conner, and Trent dropped to the ground in pain. Tommy flinched, catching the edge of the sound wave. Wes, who had been at the food table, stumbled forward in shock, his hands going to his ears. Max, Danny, Tori, and Taylor had all been sitting and listening to Kira play and sing. Tori, seeing the scream coming, had streaked out of the way. She had taken Allison, who had been sitting on her lap, with her. The other three clutched their heads in pain.

"You idiot!" Kira yelled, standing up and stalking toward Conner. "You almost broke my guitar!"

She continued scolding Conner, as well as Trent and Ethan, as everyone else just stared. Rubbing his ears, Tommy let go of the twins and stood up.

"Ahh…" he muttered. "That still doesn't feel good."

Taking a deep breath, he turned invisible. Some of the other rangers jerked in surprise when he disappeared. Trent, Ethan, and Conner were back on their feet and the four younger Dino rangers were arguing, completely ignoring everyone else. Tommy reappeared in the middle of them.

"Knock it off!" he yelled.

They all jerked in surprise, taking a step back.

"Man, Dr. O," Ethan said. "That's really not cool."

"Yeah," Conner said. "How is it you always manage to do that?"

Sighing, Tommy rolled his eyes. Eric had run over to Taylor and was helping her to her feet. Max and Danny were still on the ground, stunned. Wes was clutching the table with one hand, the other was holding his head.

"What was that?" Eric snapped, glaring at the Dino Thunder rangers.

"Umm… Well," Conner said, looking around. "Dr. O?"

All of the rangers in the yard were looking at them expectantly. Even the kids were staring at them. Hayley sighed, shaking her head and going to check on the other three rangers.

"Come on," she said, pulling Max and Danny to their feet. "Shake it off. You'll be fine."

"What?" Danny yelled.

Hayley rolled her eyes and led them over to the picnic table. Cam was back in his seat, still holding Hope. The four year old was clinging to Cam, who was dressed in green. She'd found a new friend in her protector. Jason strode forward, glaring at the Dino Thunder team.

"Alright," he said, crossing his arms. "I think it's time for an explanation."

"Yeah, seriously," Zach said. "What's with the sudden freaky abilities?"

Sighing, Tommy ran a hand through his hair as the rest of the rangers gathered around.

"Well," he said after a moment. "Remember what I said about the Dino gems?"

"You said they bonded with your DNA," Billy answered. "So they granted you the abilities?"

"Yes," Tommy said, nodding. "Each ability is specific to an individual and something we received when we bonded with our gems. An extra—power—to go with the ranger powers themselves."

"But you aren't rangers anymore," Carter said. "You told us earlier that the gems had burnt out."

Tommy nodded.

"They did," he said. "Our ranger powers are gone. But, well—"

"But because the abilities came from the gems bonding with your DNA, you retained them after the gems themselves died," Billy said. "Essentially, the abilities were inherent and were awakened by the gems."

"What?" Rocky said, looking at Billy in confusion.

"He means they were always there," Trini said. "They just couldn't use the abilities until the gems charged them up."

"Got it," Rocky said.

Tommy nodded again.

"Exactly," he said. "And at this point, they're something we're all used to living with. But this wasn't supposed to be how the rest of you found out…"

"We already knew," Shane said.

"Which is why we all got out of the way," Cam added. "And moved the children, who would have been defenseless against their powers. Especially Kira's scream."

"Sorry," the four Dino rangers muttered sheepishly, staring down at their feet.

"I didn't mean to hurt anyone," Kira said. "But before today, it was either keep everything a complete secret or I could completely be myself. I didn't think about no one else knowing…"

Hayley smiled, putting an arm around Kira's shoulders.

"You're fine, Kira," she said. "No harm done."

"I don't know about that," Wes said. "My ears are still ringing. That's a pretty powerful scream you have."

Kira shrugged, staring down at her feet.

"And nothing to be ashamed of," Tommy said firmly. "Just controlled. And next time everyone will be well aware of what can happen when things get out of control."

All of the other rangers nodded in agreement.

"So what exactly is it that the rest of you do?" TJ asked. "We all heard Kira, but I don't think all of us really caught what the rest of you actually did."

The Dino rangers exchanged glances and then looked at Tommy. He shrugged.

"Go ahead," he said as an answer. "We're not trying to keep them a secret."

Conner grinned.

"I do this!" he said.

He sped around the yard in a circle, skidding to a halt next to his friends. RJ walked over, staring up at Conner.

"You move really fast," he said.

"Yep," Conner said. "Wanna try?"

The little boy nodded and Conner scooped him up.

"Umm… Conner," Tommy started to say. "I don't think—"

But it was too late. Conner started zipping around the yard with RJ. Aisha and Rocky's eyes widened in surprise. Tommy sighed, shaking his head.

"Don't worry," he said, trying to reassure the parents. "He won't drop him."

"Then why were you trying to stop him?" Aisha asked as Conner came back with her son.

The rest of the kids went running over to Conner. Jumping up and down, they all started begging for a turn.

"That's why," Tommy sighed. "Conner, you're going to have to give them all turns now."

"Aww man…" Conner muttered. "I didn't think about that."

"Too late now," Hayley smirked. "So finish what you started."

Shrugging, Conner picked up Trevor and darted to the far end of the yard. RJ, Kaden, and Kayla ran after him laughing.

"This is great," Hayley laughed. "He'll wear himself out for the car ride home."

Shaking his head, Tommy turned back to the rangers.

"So what about the rest of you?" Zach asked.

"I can do this," Trent said.

Turning around, he walked straight toward the fence and phased through it, disappearing. He reappeared a moment later coming back through.

"Nice trick," Eric said. "I'll bet that comes in handy."  
"Yeah," Trent said. "Makes it difficult for anyone to lock me in somewhere. Although it really didn't help me get away from the life force extractor…"

"The what?" Kim exclaimed.

Tommy put a hand up, shaking his head.

"We'll talk about that later," he said. "Long story, not enough time right now."

"But Dr. O," Ethan said, grinning. "Mesogog used the life force extractor on you, too."

"Ethan," Tommy said, raising an eyebrow.

"And there was the whole amber incident," Kira said, smirking.

"Amber?" Billy said.

"Yeah," Ethan grinned. "Trent trapped Dr. O in amber. And once we finally got him out he couldn't demorph—"

"You were stuck in morph?" Zach exclaimed, looking at Tommy.

Tommy groaned, shaking his head.

"I got out of it," he said.

"Yeah," Ethan said. "But then—"

"Ethan!" Tommy interrupted, glaring at him. "Back to the subject at hand."

Grumbling, Ethan nodded.

"Anyways," Tommy said, taking a deep breath. "Conner has superspeed and Trent can phase through most solid objects. Kira has her scream."

"And I've got body armor!" Ethan said, putting up his arms and bouncing. "Come on, someone. Test me."

Tommy rolled his eyes.

"No, Ethan," he said.

"Aww… But Dr. O," Ethan protested. "Everyone else gets to show theirs off…"

"Sorry," Tommy said, shaking his head. "But showing off yours generally ends in a trip to the hospital. I don't want to do that today."

"But—" Ethan started to say.

"No," Tommy said firmly. "Using your ability, even though it's defensive, usually gets someone hurt."

"And Conner hurts himself on a daily basis without using his powers!" Ethan exclaimed. "And what about Kira? She nearly broke our eardrums!"

Kira scoffed, rolling her eyes.

"I did not," she said. "I had the level completely under control. It wasn't even close to the right frequency to break eardrums."

"She can do that?" Adam asked.

Tommy nodded.

"Yeah, it wouldn't be pleasant," he said. "Blood pouring from the ears and everything."

Everyone turned to stare at Kira. She sighed, shaking her head.

"Don't worry," Tommy said. "She's never used that kind of frequency on an actual human. Just test dummies and Tyrannodrones. Occasionally Elsa or Zeltrax."

"So then what do you do, Tommy?" Billy asked, trying to bring the conversation back around.

"That's right!" Rocky exclaimed. "You were one of them too!"

Aisha rolled her eyes, smacking Rocky on the shoulder. He winced, but Tommy just laughed.

"Oh, his is fun," Hayley said. "It makes him even harder to find."

Grinning, Tommy turned invisible. The rangers jumped again.

"Where did he go?" Jason exclaimed.

They all started turning around, looking for Tommy. But they couldn't find him. Then Tommy let out an evil laugh right behind Zach.

"Ahhh!" Zach screamed, jumping several feet in the opposite direction. "NOT COOL! Where is he?"

The rest of the rangers had jerked, too. But they still couldn't find him. Tommy let out another evil laugh on the other side of Zach, who jerked again but didn't scream. Zach started flailing his arms around, trying to find the invisible ranger.

"I'm gonna kill you when I find you!" Zach yelled. "Where are you?"

Rolling her eyes, Hayley walked over and kicked at the air behind Zach.

"Ouch!" Tommy exclaimed, turning visible again.

She had kicked him right in the shin. Zach turned to glare at him, but Tommy just snickered.

"Oh this is going to be so much fun," he said. "It's going to make these things so much better."

"Not if I kill you first," Zach growled, leaping toward Tommy.

Still laughing, Tommy took off across the yard. Zach tore after him, trying to catch up.

"How are you still in this good of shape?" Zach yelled after him. "You sit at a desk all day!"

Hayley laughed.

"He's a seventh degree black belt, Zach!" she called. "He goes for a three hour run every morning. You're never going to catch him."

Zach persisted for a few more minutes. Laughing, the other rangers started to disperse again. Finally Zach came back. Panting, he collapsed on the ground where he had been before. Tommy stopped running and stretched out his muscles a little before moving to stand next to Hayley.

"That was refreshing," he said. "Wanna try again, Zach?"

Zach just glared up at him.

"I'm going to get you," he said. "Just wait and see. One way or another, I will get you."

Tommy just smirked.

"Bring it on," he said.

Hayley rolled her eyes. Smiling, Tommy wrapped an arm around her waist.

"I think I'm going to go relax for a while," he said, looking over at Jason. "Guess you're completely and officially in charge."

Jason frowned.

"What is that supposed to mean?" he asked.

"That means," Tommy said as he and Hayley started walking away, "that they are your problem as long as we are here."

He used his free hand to gesture toward the younger rangers. Conner was still giving the kids turns running around the yard. Dustin and Shane had joined in the game and they were having races, Hunter calling the winners. Kira had gone back to her guitar and was entertaining Hope and Allison with some music. Blake and Tori were sitting at the picnic table, talking and smiling as they held hands. Cam and Ethan were there, too, but they were absorbed in the computer again. Trent was sitting by himself now, his sketchbook on his lap as he just watched what was going on.

"Wait a minute," Jason protested. "They're your students."

"Were," Tommy corrected. "But that doesn't matter. You're the leader, so you're in charge."

"Tommy," Jason said.

"Nope," Tommy said, pausing to look back at him. "You're the original red ranger. You get to be in charge. Besides, you were always a better leader than I was. So you're stuck with it. Good luck!"

"But—" Jason protested.

"I'm retired," Tommy said. "Officially retired."

Leaving Jason staring after them, Tommy and Hayley walked over sat down under one of the trees to watch the kids playing. She leaned against him as he wrapped an arm around her.

"Besides," he said. "I might actually need some time to help plan the wedding—well, maybe the honeymoon. I'm hoping I get a say in that."

Hayley looked up at him, smirking.

"Maybe," she said.

After a moment, Jason followed them.

"Now listen, bro," Jason said. "I don't mind being in charge, but you've got a lot more experience dealing with the whole special abilities thing."

Tommy shrugged, leaning back against the tree.

"You know what their abilities are now," Tommy said, grinning. "And besides, if you were paying attention, I gave you all the tools you need to keep chaos under control. You just gotta be on your toes, bro. How hard can it really be for the original red ranger."

Jason groaned, rubbing a hand over his face as he turned to look at the yard full of power rangers again.


	35. Rookie

_So, here we are the last chapter of Years Gone By. :) I hope you all have enjoyed it as much as we have enjoyed sharing it with you. This short little chapter just felt like the best way to end it. Let us know how you what you think, and if you have any ideas for future stories. We are still working on our Dino Time sequel so keep your eyes open. See you soon! _

* * *

"So, rookie," Cole grinned, leaning against the fence. "Tired yet?"

Conner frowned, setting RJ down. He'd just finished yet another lap around the yard. Trevor reached his arms up, but Conner shook his head.

"Sorry, buddy," he said, panting. "I need to take a break."

Cole laughed, walking away. Watching him go, Conner frowned again. He wandered back over to where Tommy and Hayley were now sitting at the picnic table with Jason, Trini, and Zach. Seeing Conner coming, Tommy held out a water bottle. Trying to catch his breath, Conner took it gratefully and plopped down on the bench next to Tommy. He chugged half of the water bottle before leaning forward on the table, his head in his arms.

"Since when am I a rookie?" Conner muttered, turning his head to look at Tommy.

Tommy frowned.

"What?" he said.

"A rookie," Conner said, lifting his head up. "Why is that other guy calling me rookie?"

"Who's calling you a rookie?" Jason asked, glancing around.

"The loudmouth kid in red with the one sleeve," Conner said.

Hayley's eyes narrowed.

"Cole!" she called, waving him over.

He walked over, a grin still plastered on his face.

"What is this I hear about you calling MY red ranger 'rookie'?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

Cole shrugged.

"He's the newest red ranger," he said. "There aren't any other red rangers on the team. And it was determined that rookie applies to the youngest red ranger, regardless of how long they've been a ranger."

Grumbling, Conner dropped his head back in his arms.

"Then technically Conner isn't the rookie," Tommy said. "He's not the youngest red ranger."

"What?" Jason said, frowning. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"The new team, Mystic Force," Tommy said. "Haven't you met them yet?"

Jason stared at him in surprise.

"I just found out about them this morning!" he exclaimed. "How did you know?"

Tommy exchanged glances with Hayley.

"Hmm…" he said. "I guess Hayley's system is just running faster than yours… But here. You'll want this."

Digging in his pocket, Tommy pulled out his wallet. Opening it, he pulled out a card and put the wallet back in his pocket. He handed the card to Jason.

"Here's there contact information," he said. "Their red ranger's name is Nick. He's still growing into the position, but he doesn't take crap from anyone."

"Uh huh…" Jason said, still shaking his head.

"Oh!" Tommy said. "Tori! Dustin!"

The two ninjas came jogging over.

"What's up?" Dustin asked.

"You two are going to love this," Tommy answered, grinning.

Dustin and Tori exchanged glances. Confused, they looked back at Tommy.

"Love what?" Tori asked.

"The new team of rangers," Tommy said. "Their yellow is named Chip. And I'm pretty sure he's more spastic than you, Dustin. And their blue is named Madison. They call her Maddie. She's a little shy, but she takes care of her friends."

Tori and Dustin grinned.

"Yes!" Dustin exclaimed, punching the air. "We're not gonna be the oddballs anymore!"

Still excited, they ran to tell the rest of their team the good news. Cole rolled his eyes.

"That still means I'm not the rookie anymore," Cole said.

"I don't know," Zach said. "From what Tommy said, I'm pretty sure the new kid would kill you if you called him rookie."

Tommy nodded in agreement.

"Yeah," he said. "He probably would."

"And it's kind of hard to pass the title of 'rookie' on to someone who can beat you up," Zach grinned.

Conner's head popped up from the table again. Before Cole knew what was happening, he found himself flat on his back with Conner standing over him.

"So that counts?" Conner asked, looking at Zach.

Zach started laughing and nodded.

"Oh, that definitely counts," he snorted.

"Not fair!" Cole protested, half sitting up. "I wasn't ready!"

Conner smirked, shaking his head.

"Dr. O's first rule," he said. "Always be aware of your surroundings and be ready to act, rather than react. Because if you're reacting, someone has already hit you."

Tommy smiled, shaking his head. Cole just grumbled.

"I am not staying the rookie," he muttered. "Six years is long enough…"

Hayley cocked her head, smirking at Cole.

"I've got an idea," Hayley said, looking around. "I want to pass a motion that anyone who has held the title of rookie for five years or more be permanently assigned that nickname."

The rangers started laughing.

"All in favor?" Hayley asked.

Every hand in the area shot up, even the people who hadn't actually been part of the conversation. Some of the kids, seeing their parents' hands in the air, followed suit.

"I guess that's settled, then," Jason said. "Cole, you are now the official rookie."

"You might as well accept it, rookie," Tommy said, grinning down at Cole. "Because you're stuck with it."

Cole just groaned, falling backward again as the rangers started laughing.


End file.
